Betrayal
by Loki's Son
Summary: Sisko mounts a mission to capture Cal Hudson. But the Cardassians have struck first. Will Sisko leave his oldest friend in Cardassian hands? Ro Laren is consolidating her newly inherited hold on the Ronaran Maquis cell. While searching for Hudson she comes upon an unexpected ally.
1. Chapter 1

Commander Benjamin Sisko met the eyes of every officer before his resonant bass voice spoke, "We're here to discuss the Maquis."

The Starfleet officers present suddenly looked pained. However, the Bajoran Militia's representatives' interests had been decidedly piqued. Sisko knew that he would have to address their concerns shortly or there could be trouble.

 _Deep Space Nine's_ Senior Staff gathered in their rather cramped briefing room inside the station's core module. It was dark and dreary for a reason. The station's designers never intended for it to be used. Oh, its ostensible use was envisioned but everyone knew that the station's master would never stoop to utilizing it.

 _DS9_ was a Bajoran space station and administered by Starfleet but it had been built by the Bajorans' former oppressors, the Cardassians. The Cardassian Prefect of Bajor was also overlord of the station built as _Terok Nor_. Gul Dukat was a vain man who would not condescend to meeting his officers on equal terms. Instead, he met them in his throne-like office situated off of station Ops.

Skrain Dukat saw himself as a visionary benefactor to the Bajoran people. He professed to _love_ the Bajoran people. After all, he had certainly bedded enough of their women, up to and including fathering a child with one. Mother and child had been whisked away in order to protect them from their prejudices of both their peoples.

So while Dukat professed his good will, he trampled on the rights, well being, and spirituality of the people he so generously "loved". The people hated him for his tyranny and his hypocrisy. The Bajoran Resistance fought his minions at every turn. They raised the Cardassian body count and the Cardassians reply initiated a series of ever intensifying reprisals.

But a cavalcade of interstellar events brought about the Cardassian withdrawal of Bajor. For one thing, the Cardassians were sickened by the bloody quagmire they'd embroiled themselves into. Second, the United Federation of Planets at long last applied diplomatic pressure in their treaty ending the second Federation-Cardassian War. Bajor had been liberated and its Provisional Government has asked the Federation to oversee and assist in Bajor's restoration.

While Starfleet did occupy the station, it was largely a symbolic gesture on many fronts. Starfleet didn't have enough assets in the Bajoran Sector to defend Bajor's home system much less the surrounding sector. The discovery of the Bajoran Wormhole opened a floodgate of explorers and opportunists passed by and through the station. While Sisko wasn't about to weigh in whether or not the aliens who had created and resided in the wormhole were gods, Bajor's faith had been rekindled. Because of the wormhole's access to the unexplored Gamma Quadrant business spilled over to the Bajorans and new markets were established bring new wealth to the planet after its decades' long pillage by the Cardassians.

Another of the new treaty's results had been the creation of a Demilitarized Zone between the Federation and the Cardassian Union. Modeled somewhat after the Neutral Zone with the Romulans, it forbade either side from moving starships or military assets into the Zone. However, police forces _were_ allowed to travel in and out of the DMZ and Sisko's plan was predicated upon this clause.

* * *

"As you read in your private dossiers, Lts. Dax and Bashir along with Chief O'Brien, are accompanying me to the DMZ in the _Rio Grande_ ," Sisko reiterated the orders as written, "Major Kira, you will command the station in my absence. Constable Odo, there may be reprisals for what we're about to do. Keep an eye out for rabble rousers and saboteurs."

Odo grunted but, as usual, kept most of his feelings to himself. His derisive grunt pretty much summed his opinion though. Kira Nerys, however, was not so circumspect.

"Why assign _you_ to this effort?" Kira asked derisively. Realizing how she sounded she backpedalled a _little_ bit, "No offense, Commander. I'm sure your record against the Tzenkethi speaks for itself but these are Cardassians."

"No, Major, _these_ are Federation citizens," Sisko rumbled.

"Whose territory you handed away and now you've labeled them as terrorists," Kira plunged ahead, "And that's my point. Until recently, _I_ was labeled a terrorist. You could use my expertise."

"It's precisely that _expertise_ that worries Starfleet Command," Sisko said. Her eyes bulged and she struggled to restrain an apoplectic outburst, "No offense."

"Of course not," she bitterly mumbled.

"The point is that the Bajoran Resistance has purchased credibility by reincorporating the Bajoran Militia and filling its ranks. You've proven you're invested in the political process. The Maquis have not. The Resistance carved out a free world and stood united to defend it from further aggression. Again, the Maquis have not," Sisko asserted.

"Have they been given that option?" Kira wondered.

"Excuse me?" Sisko retorted

"Have they been given the option to free their worlds and unite under one banner?" Kira clarified the question.

"The DMZ was created to preserve a rather fragile peace. That peace will be preserved at all costs," Sisko asserted.

"Even at the cost of the colonists themselves?" Kira shot the barb across his bow.

"I don't see your point," Sisko admitted.

Kira wore a thin smile, "Come now, Commander. Starfleet's position shouldn't be so hard to pin down. Are you willing to sacrifice the colonists' lives to preserve the peace? Because it _will_ come down to that. These people are _committed_ in a way you might not be able to imagine. And in this kind of struggle, the most committed wins… _every time_. Now, you have to ask yourself, are you willing to sacrifice their _lives_ , the life of your friend Calvin Hudson, on the altar of peace?"

Sisko had to think long and hard about that. He'd already faced that decision once and chosen poorly. Starfleet was looking for him to do better this time out.

"Yes," he said at last, with utter conviction.

"And then you wonder why I love Starfleet so much?" Kira scoffed.

Her words stung but Sisko chose to ignore them. He had a mission. His _crew_ had a mission.

* * *

Dax manned the _Rio Grande's_ CONN station. Sisko took OPS and O'Brien tinkered with the Engineering console. Bashir looked decidedly out of place sitting at the Science station with nothing to do. After twenty minutes of silence had worn on, Sisko opened the floor to questions.

Bashir was the first to pipe up, "Are we really going to be working alongside the Cardassians?"

Sisko could understand Bashir's wariness. The Federation and Cardassia had fought a fifteen year long undeclared war before briefly committing all of their forces to the real thing. A little closer to "home", the Cardassians record with the Bajorans was one of atrocities and slave labor. The border conflict had spawned one Starfleet ghost story after another of colony's being massacred.

Sisko had to admit that the Cardassians' attacks on civilian population had done little to warm their enemies' hearts. That's why the peace accord was so vital. It immediately spared billions of threatened lives. It even spared the Maquis colonists from further harm but the fools refused to see it.

And Sisko did consider them fools. The Maquis labeled themselves after the French Resistance from Earth's Second World War. Those Maquis were saved by the Allies' invasion of France and the liberation of their people. If the modern Maquis were hoping for a similar intervention, they were sorely mistaken. Official policy, from the President's Office, the Federation Council, and the Starfleet C-in-C was that the Maquis were to be arrested and brought to trial. Hopefully _before_ the Cardassians got a hold of them, but if not, it was their own loss.

"Yes, we are cooperating with Gul Evek and designated units of the Cardassian Militia," Sisko gave the clinical answer.

The truth was he had to practically beg for Evek's participation. Personally he would have made do without it but Starfleet didn't want to be seen taking unilateral action. Evek was committing three _Galor_ -class cruisers to patrol routes near the DMZ to catch any Maquis desperate enough to try and flee into Union territory. Cardassian Outposts 47 and 61 would also closely observe the target world.

Three Federation starships were also conducting additional patrols near the DMZ. One was attached to Starbase 310. Another towards the "middle" of the Zone assigned to Starbase 211. The primary focus would occur under the watch of Starbase 129 and the Argus Array.

Their target was a Maquis command base on Umoth. That was where Calvin Hudson now resided. Capturing the Maquis Commander himself would throw the Maquis Council into disarray. The individualized cell structure of the Maquis would minimize how many people Starfleet could subsequently capture but it would ruin all their current and future operations. The Maquis would have their knees cut out from underneath them.

Hudson's military experience and expertise were vital to the planning of various missions. Although, there were a handful of other qualified former Starfleet officers to take his place. Starfleet Intelligence listed three major contenders. One was Svetlana Koraponova. She was a former Lt. Commander in Starfleet Operation. It was rumored that she was actually the principle planner behind most Maquis missions. She was code named the "Architect" in order to provide her with security during movement from one colony to the other.

Sveta, as she was known by her intimate friends, had recruited a Lt. Commander by the name of Chakotay. Chakotay's last assignment was as an instructor at Starfleet's Advanced Tactical Training facility. He had Koraponova had been friends since their time at the Academy together. With the slaughter of his fellow Dorvan V settlers, his recruitment had been an easy pitch.

Ro Laren was a recent addition this list. Ro had a history in the Bajoran Resistance. The Chief had surprised Sisko by his admission he'd served with Ro. The Lieutenant was a maverick. It was amazing she'd ever been allowed into Advanced Tactical Training much less passed. Sisko knew that she bore watching as a potential rising star in the Maquis hierarchy.

Sisko reviewed all these facts, and more, with his officers. As he did so, he gauged their commitment to the mission. O'Brien was uncomfortable working with the Cardassians. His personal history with them during the Border Wars made him a natural skeptic.

Dax seemed fairly content but there were lingering doubts in her eyes. All that ancient knowledge that resided within them now bore a murky film of doubt. But she was also galvanized to do her duty. Jadzia, the present Dax host, was an up and coming officer with ambitions of her own. She'd do her duty. Sisko had no worries about that.

Bashir was the wild card. He was a highly idealistic individual and this mission didn't sit well with his ideals. Oh, he was fine with capturing Hudson and any other Maquis they could, he just had qualms about the Cardassians. He worried that they might take preemptive action and therefore negate the goals of their assignment. Sisko couldn't blame him on that score.

* * *

Boots slowly crept through the cobbled streets of Alores, the capital city on Umoth. These weren't just any style of boots but _Cardassian_ military issued boots. Of course, they were _surplus_ wares, or so the official fiction went. These boots _had_ been directly distributed to the Cardassian paramilitaries just as the training they had received had come from the Union's Militia.

Of course, these particular paramilitaries hadn't required much training. They're leader, Mik Feron had been a garresh in the Militia. The various ranks of garresh were approximate with the Starfleet grades of petty officer through master chief. His subordinates had all been gorrs. And the grades of gorr related to Starfleet's crewmen designations. These men were all veterans of the Cardassian military that had been recruited to live on the colony of Solosos after the DMZ had been created.

Solosos sat on the border between the Zone's limits and the Cardassian Union's proper borders. Its population had exploded after the treaty's signing as Cardassians swarmed onto the lush and fertile planet. Rumors and refugee tales of the Cardassians forcing people off of their land and using any force necessary to accomplish it reminded the surrounding colonists of the Dorvan "incident". It was a Maquis recruiter's dream come true.

However, Solosos was on the other "end" of the DMZ while Umoth sat near its "center". It was hard to apply proper terms to a winding ribbon. But most understood the general appellations that had been loosely applied. Simply put, these men were far from home.

* * *

Feron and his comrades had been selected for their direct combat service against the Federation. Solosos possessed a mixed composition constabulary but these men weren't apart of anything so official. They had been brought to the colony for the simple task of evicting, or eliminating, every Federation colonist.

The Cardassians had already been blatantly caught violating the treaty in a similar manner so Gul Evek wasn't as indiscreet about his methods on this second attempt. Evek had organized second party deliveries before, which had been flushed out by Gul Dukat, and these resumed but even the recruitment and hiring of such parties was now handled by intermediaries. "Concerned" citizens hired the intermediaries. The military was never directly tied into the operation so Central Command retained plausible deniability at all times just in case Gul Dukat wandered of the reservation again or drug some other fool like Corat Damar into doing his dirty work.

Feron's men weren't in military uniform per se but they were in an ersatz uniform of sorts. They wore grey tunics and black pants. Each wore a long coat, essentially a long sleeved hooded cloak that draped down nearly to the ground. These coats hid the weaponry they carried. Unwilling to trust weapons from an unknown source, they carried Cardassian disruptors pistols and rifles.

The group fanned out as they neared their target. They'd been transported down by a freighter in orbit. The freighter was owned by a Xepolite trader. The non-aligned Xepolites frequently carried goods or personnel for the Cardassians. This particular captain saw an advantage in gaining the graces of the Cardassian paramilitaries. They would require his services again as they spread out from Solosos. They could also refer his services to other like-minded groups across the DMZ.

Feron and his men had arrived several blocks away from the Maquis stronghold. Feron snorted derisively at _that_ thought. The Maquis were holed up in a housing bloc. It was a living space with a central courtyard shared by all the residents. Food was served at this courtyard and the Maquis and the others would be gathering soon for their evening meal.

Calvin Hudson had endangered women and children by placing his command there. Which suited Feron just fine. Women and children died just as easily as the men. He knew Illya Galan would just as soon kill every inhabitant before leaving witnesses behind.

Galan was the sole female member of Feron's party. She was reported to have been one of the Obsidian Order's pet killers until she became a little too enthusiastic about her work. The Order preferred surgical strikes and Galan preferred a broadsword to a scalpel. She killed indiscriminately and even her teammates watched her closely. Galan was never at anyone's back.

Their rifleman was perched atop the building across the street from the Maquis. He reported that two sentries were guarding the main entrance, rather obviously and sloppily at that. Feron ordered their execution. The sniper took them down and called in the "all clear."

Feron and his people rushed into the Maquis compound. Galan was in the lead and she blasted her way through the bodies as they milled about, waiting for their helping of the communal meal. Only four of Feron's twelve person unit were entering the compound. One was atop the roof next door and the remaining seven were circling the building. As the exterior guards were called to abandon their posts at the secondary entrances the Cardassians would flank them and killed them from behind and join their own comrades at attacking the interior.

Galan carved a path to the courtyard. People were fleeing now. The sounds and scents of death having filled their ears and nostrils. Hudson was directing the evacuation. Feron recognized him from his dossier on the "great man."

Galan took aim at him and Feron swatted her aim down, spoiling her shot. She whirled on him while their other two comrades risked going ahead and laying down cover fire. Feron got into Galan's face.

"No, you psychopathic idiot! Evek wants that one alive!" Feron shouted at her, "Sate your bloodlust on the others but leave _him_ to _us_."

Galan's eyes were wild but she nodded, "Very well. But the rest are mine!"

"Finally, we agree on something," Feron subsided.

Galan whirled and launched herself into her work. Feron stood aside as she blasted her way through the scattering crowd. People were trampling each other as the herd fled. Feron thought of them as little more than animals as he gunned them down.

Galan and Feron's efforts were rewarded as some of the Maquis were desperately flushed as they tried to intervene in the slaughter. They were mercilessly were cut down. Fortunes changed as Hudson took aim at Galan.

She hesitated for a fraction of a second and Hudson killed her. Feron couldn't say he was sorry to see her go. He in turn shot Hudson in the leg. Two more of his Maquis sacrificed themselves as a third helped Hudson hobble toward safety. Only, their succor was short lived as Feron's flankers cut them off.

"Throw down your weapons and you won't be harmed," Feron ordered.

Hudson and his allies scattered across the courtyard hesitated. Feron clucked his tongue, "Remember, our weapons have no pathetic 'stun' setting. If we do not have your weapons with which to incapacitate you then we shall merely execute you all."

Hudson was tempted to shoot himself but he clung to the hope that Koraponova or one of the others could affect his rescue. He dropped his phaser and glared at Feron, "I don't know what you hope to gain here but was it worth the lives of children?"

"Children who would grow up to become Maquis?" Feron sneered, "I've done my people a service here today. In the future there will be fewer Maquis bombs and assassinations. If killing a few indiscriminate lower lifeforms accomplishes that then I call it a job well done."

Feron saw Hudson's eyes dart towards his discarded phaser, "Ah, ah, there's no changing your mind now. You're coming with us know. You _all_ are." Feron smiled, "We'll be in the countryside. You'll enjoy yourself."

"Not if I have to be there with you," Hudson vowed.

Feron plucked the phaser from the ground and shot Hudson, "No need to be surly."

Feron knelt by Hudson's unconscious form as the other paramilitaries stunned the Maquis with their own weapons. He affixed an isolinear tag to his prisoner. The others followed suit. Feron recalled his sniper. When he arrived, Feron contacted the Xepolite captain.

"We've tagged everyone. Prepare for transport," Feron ordered.

"We'll have to use the cargo transporter for so many," the Xepolite, Dren, announced.

"Fine," Feron grated, "As long as the holding cells are prepared."

"All according to your specifications," Dren assured him, "The three cells look like cargo containers but they're rigged with interior force fields to supplement the cages."

"Excellent," Feron agreed, "Now transport us!"

Flustered, Dren relayed the order to his transporter chief. Cardassians were always so demanding. At least they paid well. It made up for their arrogance and rudeness.


	2. Chapter 2

The scoutship slipped into the DMZ. Registered as a civilian scout and transport, the NDS-741564 _SS Odyssey_ was innocuous enough to slip past Starfleet's sensor net with barely a ripple. Of course, the _Blackbird_ -class ship had started life as Starfleet's NCC-14274 _USS Tiberius_. Her hull was laid in 2318 and she'd been decommissioned from active service in 2369 at the close of the Cardassian War.

The _Blackbirds_ had seen heavy action along the Cardassian and Tzenkethi borders. They'd become unpopularly known as the "Death Birds" amongst Cardassian military officers. The Tzenkethi probably had a name for them as well but no one was asking them what it was.

The _Blackbird_ -class was essentially a diminutive hybrid between the then-existing _Excelsior_ -class and the forthcoming _Ambassador_ -class. Or in simpler terms, a crossbreed between the _Enterprise-B_ and _–C_. The ships' dimensions were a length of 104 meters, a width of 80 meters, and a height of 20 meters.

The _Odyssey_ , like all ships of her class, possessed five decks. Deck One was comprised of the bridge and the briefing room built behind the bridge. Deck Two was made up of living quarters and the deuterium tanks. Deck Three boasted the forward torpedo launchers and their magazines, science labs, the shuttlepod hangar, sickbay, and two storage compartments. Deck Four was entirely made up of the engineering compartment, and the aft torpedo launcher. Deck Five was devoted to the antideuterium pods.

The ship had a course plotted for Ronara Prime. Her crew intended to join the Maquis, albeit in their own unique way. Despite the ship's design specifications for a crew comprised of twenty-two officers and crewmen, the _Odyssey_ made do with a crew of seven.

Brin Macen owned and commanded the ship. Lisea Danan served as his Executive Officer and manned the science station. Tracy Ebert sat at the CONN while T'Kir manipulated the OPS panels. Christine Lacey stood at the Tactical station, what sat behind the captain's chair on an elevated platform. This rounded out the bridge crew. Below decks in Engineering, Tom Eckles served as the Chief Engineer and Heidi Darcy was his sole Engineer's Mate.

The crew was mostly comprised of humans. T'Kir was obviously Vulcan and Danan was unmistakably a Trill. But Macen was also a non-human despite all appearances to the contrary. The crew didn't know that he had been born in the Delta Quadrant and travelled to the Federation in the doomed _Lakul_. That freighter had been destroyed by the energy ribbon known as the Nexus, which had swallowed up hundreds of fellow El-Aurians and deposited them into their own personal paradises. Macen and a mere seventy-six refugees had been "rescued" by the crew of the _Enterprise-B_. Most still regretted it.

Macen had studied his new home for seven years before entering Starfleet Academy. He was given an accelerated course since he was already qualified as an Archeology and Anthropology Officer and had conducted deep space missions for his people's Expeditionary Forces. Graduating in two years versus the usual four, Macen served a tour aboard a starship as the A&A Officer. After that he was tapped by Starfleet Intelligence. They'd been impressed with his initial studies of the newfound Cardassian people and inquired as to whether he wanted a seat at their newly established Cardassian Desk.

Macen agreed and became an analyst. He sat at that desk for nearly forty years before being called out to the field as the Border Wars began between the Federation and the Cardassian Union. He'd served on the front lines amongst the colonists during the entirety of that conflict. When tension erupted into an official war between the two powers, Macen was still in the trenches. The treaty ending the war was welcomed but handing over colonies to the Cardassians was a betrayal of everything that Starfleet had fought for. The creation of the DMZ was a black eye in the honor of the soldiers and colonists that had fought and died.

Macen had officially resigned his commission as a Commander in Starfleet. Unofficially, his status was shifted into that of a reservist. He was now a civilian operative of Starfleet Intelligence and as such he was completely off the books. Fleet Admiral Alynna Nechayev had personally seen to it that Macen received a ship. He'd had his choice from a collection of freshly decommissioned ships. He'd admired the _Blackbird_ -class ships during their service along the Cardassian border, and selected the _Tiberius_ because of its connection to James T. Kirk.

Kirk was Macen's personal hero. Kirk had sacrificed his life in order to save the El-Aurians and the _Enterprise-B_. Despite his misgivings regarding being plucked from the Nexus, Macen couldn't fault Kirk's courage and lifetime of service. However, Macen strongly suspected that Kirk was now enjoying the fruits of the Nexus so he didn't feel all that bad for the adventurous human.

Macen had helped shepherd Nechayev through her career in Starfleet Intelligence Operations. They'd remained friends as she passed him in grade and eventually achieved flag rank. Now that she oversaw Starfleet Intelligence and Starfleet Security, she was in a position to do something tangible regarding the Maquis situation.

Nechayev personally sympathized with the Maquis. She'd also sympathized with the Bajorans, her duties having taken her to Bajor on the eve of their "acquisition" by the Cardassians. But now, as then, her duties forbade her from supporting either cause.

Federation policy was crystal clear: the peace _must_ be preserved at all costs. If that meant sacrificing the Maquis then so be it. This policy had been dictated by a concordant of the UFP President, the Federation Council, and the C-in-C of Starfleet. However, Nechayev had dropped a discreet word in the C-in-C's ear about _shaping_ and _utilizing_ the Maquis.

Her feelers indicated that the as-of-yet unrevealed security organ that defended Federation interests was taking a hand in arming the Maquis. Ostensibly the goals was to keep the Cardassians distracted with the rebellion in the DMZ and their newly acquired colonies while Starfleet, and other forces, moved behind the scenes to undermine Central Command's ability to strike at the Federation. Nechayev took this idea and decided ran with it. If the Maquis were a charged phaser, then that phaser had to be aimed.

Knowing that Macen was embittered by what he viewed as an inexcusable abandonment of the border colonists, Nechayev tapped him as her agent. Knowing full well he could be hunted as a Maquis collaborator, he still agreed to the scheme. Nechayev then set an elite group of agents into motion. They registered Macen's starship and got him fairly unique credentials. They arranged contacts across the Federation, Bajor, and the Ferengi Alliance.

Nechayev wanted to place a crew aboard the _Odyssey_. Macen refused. He wanted the crew to be actual Maquis sympathizers so they couldn't reveal his connection with Starfleet. Nechayev still wanted an undercover Starfleet First Officer. Macen relented.

* * *

He contacted Danan. They had a complicated history. He'd known a previous host of the Danan symbiont and they'd been friends. When Lisea and Macen met, they'd fallen into each other's arms. She'd since been relocated to the Amagosa Observatory as Starfleet's representative there.

Knowing Danan's expertise was in stellar cartography and astrophysics, Macen thought she'd prove an asset behind the lines. He approached her with the idea of leaving Starfleet and joining him aboard the _Odyssey_. She wanted to know why.

Macen gave her a wry look, "I can't discuss that over an open channel."

"Is this another Saltok III?" Danan inquired archly, "Because I still have nightmares about that little 'adventure'."

Macen looked pained, "We shouldn't discuss _that_ over an open channel either."

"How about Quatal?" Her words dripped scorn. "Can we discuss that?"

"No," Macen hung his head, "But I can tell you you're in the right neighborhood."

"The DMZ?" she yelped, "But the only thing going on there but… No! You wouldn't!"

"I probably would and am going to," Macen replied.

"Okay," she relented a bit, "You want to run off and play hero. Why do you want me to join you?"

"Because there's something else involved and I think you'd approve of it," he said nebulously.

She shook her head, "Nyuh uh. There's something else to it. You could recruit from dozens of people yet you've come to me. Why?"

Macen hesitated and then plunged on in, "Because I trust you. I trust you with my life and that's what you'd literally be holding in your hand. I don't trust anyone else with that."

Danan suddenly broke into a satisfied smile, "Finally! You can admit it."

"You still need to hear the whole proposal," Macen warned.

Her eyes danced, "Did you just use the word 'proposal' with me?"

"Lees!" He used her familiar name out of frustration.

She threw her hands up in surrender, and then replied, "Have no fears. I'm not expecting miracles _yet_. But you can explain everything to me when you pick me up.

"You're in?" He couldn't believe it. "But you haven't heard the rest of it."

"I don't need to. _You_ need _me_. That's all I needed to hear," she asserted.

"You might regret this," Macen gave her one last chance to back out.

"I already do," Danan sighed, "Now when can you be here?"

* * *

The rest of the crew had been signed at worlds in and around the DMZ. T'Kir was one of the last survivors of Shial. The Vulcan colony had been ceded to the Cardassians and the Cardies had slaughtered the population. T'Kir had been spared because she had been away at school.

She was unusual for a Vulcan. All of her fellow colonists had been. They'd been dissidents who followed the tenets of Sybok rather than Surak. They believed that emotional expression was the key to self-fulfillment as they sought out Sha-Ka-Ree. Whether the fabled paradise was literal or metaphorical was open to debate but everyone on Shial had believed in it and they'd died defending their homes.

T'Kir wasn't just an emotionally expressive Vulcan; she was a _broken_ emotional Vulcan. Tales survived of the Vulcans' legendary mood swings. In the short time that they'd known T'Kir, the crew had been confronted with just that. It went beyond that though; she seemed out of touch with the commonly shared reality. She seemed to always be listening to things no one else could hear.

Oddly enough, Macen was her biggest defender. As such, he was the only one that she would easily listen to. In fact, he was the only one she completely paid attention to. With everyone else it seemed as though she were listening to someone else in the background at the same time. But she focused on Macen. It was generally hoped that T'Kir wouldn't go completely crazy and pose a threat to her crewmates.

The fact that everyone on the crew wore a sidearm didn't help allay those fears. Eckles and Darcy usually sat theirs aside while they tended to the engine space. Everyone on the bridge was discreetly armed though. The weapons were there even if they weren't readily seen.

Ebert had been recruited on Starbase 129. She was originally from Haldos II which had also been handed over to the Cardassians. She'd been the owner/pilot of a small transport during the troubles with the Cardassians. She'd ferried colonists off of Haldos as the Cardassians pushed in and left the original settlers nowhere to run. Ebert's transport had been fired upon as it crossed into the DMZ. She'd managed to set down on Ronara Prime but her faithful little ship was a pile of wreckage now. Wreckage that some of the refugees hadn't walked away from

Ebert had been on Starbase 129 looking for work. Freighters and other transports were always looking for additional crew as other crewmen departed. Macen had spotted several Maquis recruiters trolling the Starfleet installation and they were sizing Ebert up. He'd simply moved in on her first. When he told her his cover story, she readily bought it.

Lacey had been recruited on Topias. The only survivor of a Maquis cell that Cardassian paramilitaries had clashed with, she'd literally run into Macen. He'd calmed her down and explained why he was there looking for recruits for his ship's mission. She gratefully signed up.

Darcy and Eckles came as a prepackaged team. They'd left the employ of a Boslic freighter captain named Rionoj at Starbase 310. Ebert knew them as freelance engineers that hopped freighters in order to travel. Their families in the DMZ had been deeply affected by the treaty's repercussions. Both of their families had suffered at the hands of Cardassian paramilitary strikes. The Cardassians' official line was that the Maquis were the only terrorists in the Zone while Starfleet claimed they had no jurisdiction.

Macen promised them that they could make a difference and help prevent further attacks if they'd join him. They leapt at the chance and Macen now had a crew of seven, including himself. He set course for Ronara Prime with the intention of meeting with Ro Laren. After all, they had a lot to talk about.

* * *

Ro Laren stared into the mirror and realized she _looked_ as stunned as she felt. The first time she'd looked like this was when the Cardassians made her watch as they tortured her father to death. The last time had been upon Macius' death. Now she wore that look again, not because someone had died but because her cell had just made her its leader.

 _Actually, someone_ did _die,_ Ro reminded herself. Santos' death had opened the door for choosing a new leader. Ro had expected the reins of power to fall at Kalinda's feet. She'd been Santos' second in command after all. Instead a unanimous vote thrust that responsibility Ro's way.

She thought it was just the aftereffect of her getting the cell out of the scrape Santos had led them into. Five Maquis, all good people and better soldiers, had died in that ambush. Ro had pointedly advised Santos not to follow up on the intel they had received but he pushed ahead before verifying it through eyewitnesses. The entire cell had paid for that mistake.

Ro marshaled the beleaguered Maquis survivors and they fought their way out of the neighborhood where hostile fire was raining down upon them from every rooftop. They managed an orderly withdrawal while only losing minimal casualties considering the savagery of the assault.

The Cardassians only had enough personnel to man their rooftop positions. When they remobilized to take advantage of the chaos on the ground, Ro had decisively set the Maquis into motion. They pulled back while employing a two by two cover formation. One withdrew while the other laid down suppressive fire. Their tactic, added to by the ambient cover provided by an urban landscape, worked to get most of the cell to safety.

The Cardassians had pursued to the end of the block when they ran into the cell's reinforcements. They weren't much by military standards but neither were the Cardies. Running headlong into phaser cannons mounted atop ground vehicles had been a surprise for the pursuing paramilitaries. The cannons sweeping arcs of overlapping fire sent the Cardassians fleeing back to their bolt holes.

* * *

The Maquis had retreated to their base of operations. They'd long since moved out of the housing quad they'd once occupied. It had attracted too many attacks and resulted in too many losses. Now they occupied a former defense post. The Cardassians had insisted that Ronara Prime shut down all of its defense posts when the planet was consigned to the DMZ. Starfleet and the Central Command had each sent representatives to oversee the shutdown.

Unbeknownst to them an official, one that predated the "shared" Federation/Cardassian government, had handed over the pass codes to the Maquis. The cell now inhabited a command bunker carved into the living rock of a mountain side. The base was fifty kilometers from the nearest city but they had ground vehicles and a couple of air cars so they made do. The best part was that the base possessed a shielded hangar they could hide their "fleet" in.

The Maquis of the Ronaran cell had the drive back to base in which to consider their fortunes. When they arrived, they immediately held a council. Ro's name was offered as a candidate for brigade commander. She was excluded from voting but she received unanimous support. They all remembered her words of caution before the ill fated mission, and even more, they recalled her tactical skill and unwavering leadership during their retreat. She'd shone immense personal courage. So much so even Kalinda, Santos' heir apparent, bowed down before Ro's natural propensity for the role.

The problem now was that Ro didn't feel worthy. She'd retreated to her quarters to ostensibly review who in the cell should be included in the leadership roles. Several positions had opened up as key members died. Ro skimmed over the scanty files she had on them all. Mainly it came from memory.

Kalinda was the obvious choice for second in command, assuming she'd still want the role. Alea should be her intelligence chief. For the most part she'd proven herself reliable when it came to local traffic and enemy movements. She just didn't have a keen grasp on things beyond the DMZ. That might eventually work against her, and by that virtue, the entire cell.

Emjin Thool should also remain the engineering chief of the cell's technical squad. The Bolian wasn't a Geordi LaForge or a Miles O'Brien but he was gifted in his own way. The other addition to her staff that she was making was placing Aric Tulley as her security chief. Tulley was a steadfast fellow. He'd been a farmer on Haldos II before the Cardassians routed everyone. They'd killed Tulley's wife and three children in order to "persuade" him to abandon his land. Instead he'd killed the garresh and the three gorrs that had committed the murders.

Tulley had barely made it off of Haldos before a manhunt commenced. The transport he'd been aboard had been fired upon and came to its final resting place on Ronara. Tulley had quickly fallen in with the local Maquis cell and had proven himself utterly reliable ever since. So much so that Ro considered making him her second if Kalinda declined.

* * *

Frowning, Ro decided it was time to share her decisions with her cell. _Her_ cell. Those words had just taken on a brand new meaning. Ro hadn't really belonged in the Bajoran Resistance. She'd always been an outsider and had only been accepted by one man who'd treated her roughly but fairly. In the end, he regarded her as the daughter he'd lost during the purge of his village by the Cardassians.

After his death, Ro had left Bajor for Valo II. The settlers on Valo weren't actively fighting the Cardassians and therefore were largely ignored by them. A bitter irony was that the Valo system was now incorporated into the DMZ. The fight had come to Valo despite Keev Falor's long term ambitions.

Ro left Valo and headed into the Federation. Once there she took remedial courses to make up for her spotty education. Funny, it had been hard to find teachers to follow her around while she moved all across Bajor. Imagine.

Joining Starfleet had been momentous. She'd wanted a chance to serve a greater good and to prevent tragedies like Bajor from happening. Despite her intentions, her reckless attitude put her at odds with her more cautious shipmates. Although the full details were unknown, while serving aboard the _Wellington_ Ro had disobeyed orders and eight of her fellow crewmen had died.

Offering no defense, Ro was sent to the stockade on Jaros II. She sat there until she was tapped for a secret mission by Admiral Kennelly. In order to accomplish her mission she had to board the flagship of the fleet, the illustrious _USS Enterprise-D_ , commanded by Captain Jean-Luc Picard.

Picard had been impressed with Ro. He offered her the opportunity to stay aboard the _Enterprise_. Over the course of the next eighteen months she convinced him that sending her to Advanced Tactical Training was a suitable challenge for her talents. She'd been floored when he suggested it and even more amazed when Commander Will Riker, the ship's XO, had signed off on the recommendation as well.

Her first assignment after returning to the _Enterprise_ had been to travel to Ronara Prime and infiltrate the very Maquis cell she now led. Ordered to lead them into a trap, Ro sprang the trap early alerting the Maquis to the Starfleet ships that awaited them beyond the Zone's borders. Ro returned with them, having found a family and a home.

She snorted derisively at that thought. "Home" was wherever she lay down. It constantly changed and was always a challenge to find after the last one had been abandoned.

* * *

Ro left her quarters and approached Kalinda, "Look, I know you have no reason to stay on as my second but I would really appreciate it if you would."

Kalinda bit back a laugh, "Ro Laren, _asking_ for my help? What happened? We make you brigade commander and you suddenly learn humility?"

Ro gave her a rueful look, "I probably deserve that."

"Damn straight you do," Kalinda insisted, "And before you give me that wounded puppy look again, my answer is, 'yes'."

Ro smirked, "In that case, I'm putting you to work."

"Is it too late to change my mind?" Kalinda wondered.

"Yes," Ro deadpanned, "Now get everyone gathered up. I have a few announcements."

Kalinda did as she was told and Ro announced her decisions over who would make up the cell's command staff. There was a general murmur of consent. A few were put out that _they_ weren't selected but they seemed willing to go along with things for now.

That was the inherent problem with the Maquis. There was no sense of discipline. People came and went as they wanted. The movement was riddled with informers. But then again, the Cardassians had even bigger mouths. A trait the Maquis used to their advantage.

Alea approached Ro. Ro realized she wasn't even certain of Alea's species. She had violet hair like a Boslic but was lacking the cranial ridges found on that species. Another disclaimer was the fact that the Boslics were neutral. They ran shipments for both sides. Ro decided that she needed to know more about her intelligence guru.

"How are you doing, Alea?" Ro said conversationally.

Alea wore a wry expression, "Just now realizing you know next to nothing about me?"

Ro sighed, "Pretty much. That obvious, huh?"

"I can count the times we've spoken on one hand," Alea grinned, "If you want those that have consisted of more than three words it narrows it down to a couple of fingers."

Ro grimaced, "That bad?"

Alea nodded, "Yeah, but don't take it to heart. Santos didn't know much about me either. Macius knew me though. He recruited me."

"He did things like that," Ro said with a pang of sorrow.

Alea noted this and apologized, "I didn't mean to dredge up bad memories. Why I found you is because you have a message from the Maquis Council. A message from the Architect to be precise."

Ro knew this had to mean trouble. She was one of the few that knew that Sveta Koraponova was the famed Architect. Chakotay had introduced her when he and Ro had an impromptu reunion a few weeks ago.

Ro knew she and Chakotay were _tacticians_ while Koraponova was a _strategist_. Ro thought three to five moves ahead but the Architect was twenty to thirty moves ahead in the game. Hudson was good but he wasn't on Koraponova's level. For her to call meant that something was in motion and the Ronaran cell was about to take the brunt of it.

"Thanks," Ro acknowledged Alea's news, "Transfer the message to my quarters."

Alea's head bobbed, "On it."

Ro watched as Alea disappeared into the crowd. _Was I ever that young?_ she wondered. She knew she had been, and not that long ago. It just _seemed_ like a veritable lifetime ago. The thought that she was brigade commander now didn't help her mood any. Sighing to herself she made her way to her quarters and got ready to receive whatever bad news was waiting for her.


	3. Chapter 3

Ro situated herself in front of her comp/comm. It was a portable version of the desktop mounted units that had proliferated in Starfleet. Starfleet also used the occasional portable model but they were more frequently employed by civilians. The Maquis had "acquired" several cargo holds' worth of these units from a sympathetic merchantman who claimed pirates had taken his whole cargo after the Maquis kindly shot up his freighter. Enough to disable the warp drive but not enough to cripple the venerable ship. Both sides had won that day.

The real trick was the encryption protecting the subspace transmission. Hudson and Koraponova had recruited several Starfleet cryptologists. Ro herself was a fair hand with codes but the specialists made her skills seem rather feeble in comparison. Which was good because Starfleet Intelligence monitored the bulk of the DMZ's transmissions with the Argus Array. Their code breakers worked overtime against their former peers.

Added to the dilemma was the fact the Cardassian Obsidian Order also monitored every transmission in the Zone, not only through their border outposts but also through passing ships that cruised within the DMZ itself. Some humans made jokes that the nondescript Cardassian freighters would claim to merely be "fishing vessels" if boarded. Ro didn't get the joke.

Ro activated the comp/comm. She keyed in her cipher for the comm unit. The screen first activated to show the red symbol of the Maquis Council. Kalinda had once warned Ro that could prove incriminating if the unit was captured.

Ro had replied with gallows' humor, "If they've get this far, I think they've already figured out who we are."

Numbers flashed across the bottom of the screen as the incoming message was accepted into the memory. The numbers stopped and Ro activated the playback. Sveta Koraponova's features suddenly appeared. Despite being a fairly striking woman, Ro was jealous of Koraponova's looks. She'd never admit it of course but the pang was there nonetheless.

"Laren, I hope you get this in short order. I'll be holding on for the next two hours awaiting your reply. The reply cipher is attached to this file. Use it as soon as you can. If it's already been two hours then we've switched to our secondary option and more lives will be lost," Koraponova was dead serious as she spoke. "Call me."

Ro checked the time stamp on the message. It had come in while the cell was travelling back to base but she still had a few minutes before the deadline was up. It would be close though.

She triggered the attachment and the comm automatically replied. Ro fidgeted while the signal was being accepted at the other end. Finally the picture shifted and Koraponova gazed back at her.

"Laren! Thank God!" Koraponova practically sagged.

"Sveta, what's going on? You made it sound like life or death," Ro forced Koraponova to focus.

"It _is_ life and death," the Maquis Chief of Operations replied, "The cell on Umoth was hit. Dozens are dead, most of them innocent bystanders whose only crime was to host our cell."

"Who did it?" Ro said in an eerily cool voice.

"The survivors saw Cardassians," Koraponova held up a hand to stop Ro from venting her outrage. "They weren't Militia. They were paramilitaries. Although, their precision indicates that they had military training. One of them was killed. Our contact in the local constabulary is trying to get us an ID."

"But why Umoth? That cell has been quiet lately," Ro wondered.

Koraponova looked stricken, "Cal has been based off of Umoth for the last six weeks."

"Oh, hell," Ro lamented, "They have him?"

The Architect nodded, not trusting herself to speak. Ro grimaced, "I suppose you want _me_ to go after them?"

"I'd ask Chakotay but Seska was able to get a feeler on the supply route the Cardassians have been using to smuggle arms into the DMZ. He and the crew of the _Val Jean_ are 'taking care of the problem' or so he said."

Ro snorted, "If anyone can, it'll be him and his crew."

"Which leaves you rescuing Cal Hudson and the command staff of the Umoth cell," Koraponova said as though it were nothing.

"I'm honored Sveta, you have to know that, but I don't know if we can pull it off. Santos was just killed and I've been made brigade commander," Ro confessed.

"So you'll be in a better position to get results," Koraponova assured her. "Look, I know you're new but you're the most capable asset that I have now and I need you. The Maquis Council needs you. You can do this."

"All right," Ro held up a hand to ward off any more encouragement. "I never was one for pep talks. I'll do my best to bring them back."

"If you can't," Koraponova's voice turned glacial, "then you have to _eliminate_ them. Cal in particular. He _cannot_ be taken to Cardassia."

"You think that's where he's headed?" Ro inquired.

"It's the only thing that makes sense. Evek wants Cal in order to show how effective he's being at 'suppressing' the Maquis. He'll hand off Cal to some monster like Gul Madred. They'll break him. Oh, it'll take a while but eventually he'll crack and the whole movement will suffer for it," Koraponova explained.

Ro nodded. She'd been in similar circumstances in her youth in the Resistance. She put a phaser to the head of her only friend on the world and fired. She would do it again if the mission called for it.

"I understand," Ro said with an air of finality. There was an instant understanding between the two women, "Any idea where they took him until they can hand him over to Evek?"

Koraponova looked crestfallen, "I haven't a clue."

Ro suddenly broke into a fierce smile, "Well my intel chief has wanted to impress me. Now's her chance."

"Good luck," Koraponova, "However this plays out."

"Thanks, Prophets know we could use a break," Ro said.

 _That_ amused Koraponova, "I thought you were agnostic."

"Being dead changes one's outlook," Ro quipped.

Koraponova gave her a quizzical look. Ro waved it aside, "Never mind. Look, some aliens inside of a wormhole want to play god? Fine. I'll humor them."

"Whatever," Koraponova said dismissively, "Just get it done. I don't care how or how high the body count is. Get it done."

"Yes, ma'am," Ro nodded.

The screen went dark. Ro contemplated the task at hand. Was Alea up to her part? They'd find out. Ro had a contact in Starfleet Intelligence. It was time to call in some markers and try not to get arrested in the process.

* * *

The _Rio Grande_ arrived at Umoth. Her presence was recorded by the Cardassians' Outpost 61 and passed along to Gul Evek. He ordered them to continue monitoring the area and keep him apprised of the runabout's movements.

Dax sat the ship down at Alores' principal spaceport. Terrestrial capable craft of all shapes and sizes were parked there. Traffic Control alerted the city's constabulary to the Starfleet team's arrival. Two peace officers presented themselves.

The Superintendent of the Constabulary was a shifty fellow that owed his appointment more to his ability to coddle Cardassian feelings than actually manage an investigation. The "power sharing" arrangement between the Federation colonists and the new Cardassian minority reflected many instances of this effect across the DMZ. The Superintendent blustered about this was a bad business for all and that heads would roll.

The political official left and a real police officer presented herself. She held out a hand to Sisko, "Hello Commander, I'm Chief Inspector Bernstein. Lt. Hathaway and Ensign Dezuron told me to be expecting you as we began our investigation."

"I trust that the two officers have proven useful?" Sisko asked.

"Of course they have," Bernstein let go of a bitter laugh, "Unlike most of my force, they know what the hell they're doing."

Sisko blinked and the others remained quiet as Bernstein waved the comment aside, "I'm sorry. Local politics. Let me get all of your names."

"As you've probably been warned, I'm Commander Benjamin Sisko. This is my Science Officer, Jadzia Dax. This is my Chief of Operations, Miles O'Brien. And this fellow is my Chief Medical Officer, Julian Bashir," Sisko revealed.

"Aren't you a little young to be a _Chief_ Medical Officer?" Bernstein eyed Bashir skeptically.

"I assure you I'm fully qualified," Bashir insisted.

"We'll see," Bernstein said warily.

"Excuse me, Inspector," Sisko began to say.

Bernstein unexpectedly laughed, "Just call me, Sarah. Our force isn't big on formalities."

"All right, Sarah, you sound as if something has happened," Sisko surmised.

"You wanted us to watch that suspected Maquis hideout, right?" Bernstein asked.

"Yes," Sisko replied.

"Well, it's now a _confirmed_ Maquis base," Bernstein revealed, "Or at least it was."

"What do you mean 'it was'?" Dax inquired.

"Somebody blew the holy hell out of it," Bernstein explained, "They tore through the housing bloc the Maquis were holed up in and killed anyone who got in their path."

"How many were injured?" Bashir's interest was suddenly galvanized.

"We don't have an exact estimate yet," Bernstein admitted, "We're still figuring that out."

"And the fatalities?" Sisko grimly inquired.

Bernstein sighed, "We're still figuring that out to. All we know for certain is that both numbers are high."

"Can you take me there?" Bashir suddenly blurted. Knowing he may have overstepped his bounds he turned to Sisko, "Commander, I may be able to help."

Sisko nodded, "Let's see what we _all_ can do."

Bernstein brightened little bit, "Follow me and I'll take you to the scene."

* * *

They walked towards a large box-like vehicle. Bernstein flashed them an embarrassed smile, "I'm sorry. Ground transports are the best we can manage."

"Bajor relies upon ground based transports as well. Most of them were left behind when the Cardassians withdrew," O'Brien reassured her.

Bernstein stopped when she reached the vehicle and patted its chassis, "Well, this baby is a local product."

"What's it called?" Dax asked enthusiastically.

"We call it a 'van'." Bernstein said with pride.

"Can I drive?" Dax eagerly asked.

"I…" Bernstein floundered, "Are you qualified?"

"I have previous hosts stretching back three hundred years," Dax said merrily. "I _remember_ driving vehicles like this."

Bernstein looked to Sisko for advice. He smiled, "It's your call."

Bernstein looked at the imploring look in Dax's eyes. She also saw _something_ while Dax met her gaze. The Trill looked to be in her late twenties yet her _eyes_ were ancient. She's heard stories about Trills and their arcane knowledge but this was the first time that she'd encountered it.

She decided to take a risk, "Climb in. I'll ride shotgun." She rolled back the cargo door, "Gentlemen?"

They climbed aboard. Bernstein keyed the biometric ignition with her thumb and they were off. A Heads Up Display gave Dax direction after she'd queried the van's computer. Bernstein filled in Sisko and his crew on some of the details that they knew so far.

"Witnesses claim the attackers were Cardassian," Bernstein shared.

"Wouldn't surprise me," O'Brien commented.

Sisko gave him a pained look and the Chief managed a, "Sorry."

Bernstein grinned, "Normally we'd take that info with a grain of salt. The Cardies are the bogeymen of the planet so there's a lot of hyperbole regarding their 'crimes'. Add to that the fact that these people sheltered the Maquis."

"Which also makes them a prime target for this kind of attack," Sisko realized.

"Bingo," Bernstein said. Seeing the blank stares that she got in return, "It's a game." There was still no recognition so she plunged on, "You collect numbers and when you get the right one's you…oh, never mind."

"Sounds like Quark trying to explain tongo," O'Brien chuckled.

"Actually Chief, tongo is _very_ easy to learn once you master the rules of acquisition," Dax shared.

"Spare me," O'Brien muttered.

"What was that?" Dax cheerfully asked.

"Nothing," O'Brien replied.

"I'm sure Keiko believes you every time you say that too," Dax teased.

O'Brien blushed and Dax laughed. Sisko looked towards Bernstein, "You have more evidence than hearsay to point to the Cardassians, don't you?"

Bernstein reappraised Sisko, "Very good, Commander. We have direct physical evidence linking Cardassians to the crime."

"And that would be?" Bashir wondered.

"A body," Bernstein revealed.

Bernstein wouldn't elaborate except to say they were running the corpse's identity down through the usual channels. Sisko asked if the Cardassian Militia liaisons were assisting. Bernstein grimaced and admitted the Cardassians were throwing up more roadblocks than assistance.

* * *

They arrived at the scene and Bashir plunged on ahead where the planet's Emergency Medical Services staff labored. Bernstein brought them into the courtyard. Bodies littered the area. She explained that they'd had to move the bodies from the entrance in order to get their medical equipment in.

Dax looked horrified. O'Brien's expression baldly gave his opinion away. Sisko had to admit to dismay as well. He'd seen the atrocities of war against the Tzenkethi and the Borg. This was a massacre to rival any of those.

Bernstein called over an inspector from her department. He grabbed Hathaway and brought her along as well. Hathaway smiled out of relief upon seeing fellow Starfleet officers.

"Commander, you are a sight for sore eyes," she said a little shakily.

"I know the Chief Inspector mentioned your name before but you'll have to refresh my memory," Sisko admitted.

Hathaway nodded, "Lt. Diana Hathaway. Ensign Ilk Dezuron is my counterpart." She turned to Bernstein, "I've organized everyone as best I could. Most of the deputies are taking statements. Dezuron is helping with forensics."

"So Charlie told me. Found anything conclusive?" Bernstein asked.

Hathaway wore a wry smirk, "You mean besides a Cardassian body?"

Bernstein grimaced, "What are our Cardassian liaisons doing?"

"They've established a perimeter around the corpse and won't let anyone near it." Hathaway tried to keep the anger out of her voice.

"What?" Bernstein began to share Hathaway's anger, "Has anyone informed them when need to ID the body and find out who she was?"

"Repetitively," Hathaway's frustration was mounting, "But they've claimed jurisdiction over the body and are waiting for one of _their_ transports to haul it away.

"They don't have any jurisdiction. _I_ have jurisdiction. It's my damn planet!" Bernstein snapped, "Of all the unmitigated gall!"

She stormed off to confront the Cardassians. Sisko turned to Hathaway, "Lieutenant, how would you like to assist us in getting some scans of the body?"

Hathaway genuinely smiled for the first time, "I'd love to."

Bernstein was in the leading glinn's face. His subordinate, a garresh, stood by as she grew livid. The glinn nodded in all the right places but his reply left something to be desired.

"The murder victim was a Cardassian national. As such, her remains fall under my jurisdiction. _We_ will determine her identity and process her remains as per her legal arrangements. Afterwards, we will hand over her identity so that you can investigate, apprehend, and prosecute her killers," the glinn smiled coldly. " _Unless_ you'd like to see Cardassian justice done."

"Murder?" Bernstein sputtered, "The forensic evidence all points to the fact that she was one of the killers."

"And who did she kill?" the glinn wondered.

"Aren't the bodies littering this courtyard and the corridors evidence enough of murder?" Bernstein asked.

"Nonsense. This was a food riot and these people killed one another," the glinn pointed at Galan's corpse, " _She_ was lured in here expressly for the purpose of slaying the lovely woman. Yet another evidence of the racism that pervades your Federation."

* * *

Sisko, Hathaway, and O'Brien joined Bernstein. They'd moved into the Cardassians' body space so the two junior officers shifted position. The Starfleet representatives repeated their move and the Cardassians moved yet again but this time they fiercely glared at the Starfleet team as if to challenge them to try it again.

"Do you mind explaining to Commander Sisko here what you've been suggesting to me?" Bernstein hotly demanded.

"I would love to share. I…" a beep cut the glinn off. Suddenly he and the garresh realized that Galan's body was now _behind_ the humans. They each darted to a side to find Dax rising to her feet while holding a tricorder.

"Give that to me," the glinn requested.

"I don't think so," Dax replied sweetly.

"You will give that to me now!" the glinn shouted.

Dax looked to Sisko, who nodded. She shrugged and handed over the device. The glinn turned to Bernstein, "I believe we are done here, Chief Inspector."

Bernstein bristled but Sisko took her by the shoulders and began to steer her away, "I believe we should visit the Constabulary station."

"Why?" Bernstein was puzzled as Sisko guided her towards the van.

Sisko looked to Dax, "Do you have it?"

She held up the isolinear data rod from the tricorder. She'd palmed it before handing over the hand scanner, "Ohhh yeah. I've got it."

Her grin was infectious. They reached the van and Sisko spoke, "Now we need to be out of here before those two figure out what we've done. Lt. Hathaway, are you coming? We could use your help."

A sudden roar of outrage filled the air. Hathaway nodded, "I'm in."

* * *

They piled into the van and its tires squealed as Dax stomped on the accelerator. Bernstein entered in the destination request and Dax's HUD shifted. She wore a mischievous grin as she drove through the town. It was only a matter of time before the two Cardassian officers joined them at the Constabulary station. With luck they'd have the mysterious Cardassian woman's name and history by then.

Bernstein turned to face Sisko and Hathaway, "Diana, Dezuron was helping my people with forensics. Had they found anything?"

"Ilk and I were composing a battlefield analyses," Hathaway reported. Seeing Bernstein's curious look, she explained, "We were trying to establish how much training the killers had and what their motive was."

"And did you?" Sisko inquired.

"Possibly," Hathaway hedged, "They set up a rooftop sniper and then came through the front door while others of their unit flanked the other access points and killed the guards there as they tried to respond to the main assault. That speaks of a high degree of training and coordination."

"So they were soldiers," Bernstein growled.

"Maybe, maybe not," Sisko countered, "Intelligence reports have the Cardassians recruiting ex-military personnel and relocating them into the DMZ and newly acquired Federation colonies."

"And into the paramilitary units," O'Brien added.

"So you don't think this was the Cardassian Militia at work?" Bernstein asked.

"I don't think it was an _official_ arm of the Central Command," Sisko clarified, "But the Central Command was supplying the paramilitaries with arms and training until recently. Officially, it has stopped."

"Yeah, but unofficially the bastards are just sneakier about it," O'Brien opined.

"Belay that, Chief. We aren't here to worry about the Cardassians. The Maquis are our focus. The Central Command believes Starfleet is smuggling in weapons and training to the Maquis." Sisko warned.

"But they only believe it because they've done it themselves and are probably still doing it," Dax chimed in.

"Be that as it may, it still doesn't answer the _why_ of this attack," Sisko reminded everyone.

"Commander, surviving witnesses claim the Cardassians took prisoners," Hathaway spoke up.

Sisko's blood ran cold. He retrieved a padd out of his pocket, activated it, and scrolled through the information until he reached a file photo. He handed it to Hathaway.

"Did any of the witnesses describe the capture of _this_ man?" Sisko asked sharply.

"They mentioned him by name," Hathaway confirmed it; "All they could talk about was how Cal Hudson had been taken."

Bernstein whistled, "The Big Kahuna himself. He wasn't among the bodies so I assumed he got away."

"You _knew_ he was there?" Sisko demanded to know.

"Yes," Bernstein warily replied.

"You knew and didn't tell me," Sisko growled.

"You already suspected he was there or you wouldn't have come all this way," Bernstein fought back. "And in case you hadn't noticed, I have one helluva crime scene back there."

"And what were you going to do when it came time to arrest Hudson?" Sisko angrily inquired.

Bernstein smiled slyly, "Let's just say Cal Hudson would've been on another rock before you reached him."

"I could have your badge for this," Sisko threatened.

Bernstein laughed, "How? You don't have much more jurisdiction that our Cardassian friends." Seeing Sisko's sudden dawning of realization, she added; "You have what authority I give you. No more. No less. Right now I think your quest for Hudson will lead me to my killers so I'm willing to give you some rope."

Hathaway looked perturbed, "What I want to know is: if the locals kept Hudson's location from Dezuron and I, how did the Cardassians get it?"

Sisko suddenly looked gut punched, "They know because I told them where to find him."


	4. Chapter 4

While Hathaway used Dax's data rod to run down the identification of the as-of-yet unnamed corpse, they were all hoping that she was registered in the Starfleet Intelligence database. Sisko was confident that she was. Bernstein had to ask why.

Sisko's mood grew a little less grave, "As you know, Cardassians women are generally relegated to scientific pursuits and support roles. A notable few have risen through the ranks in the Militia…or other services," He let that implication hang there as he continued, "But women in a military style unit are enough of a rarity to register as a blip on the radar."

"Uh…Commander?" Hathaway suddenly called out. "We may have a problem."

Sisko moved over to the terminal granted to Starfleet by the constabulary, "What is it, Lieutenant?"

Sisko noted Dax's look of frustration and he repeated the question. His science officer answered, "We've hit a roadblock from Starfleet Intelligence. The information we want requires a Level Seven clearance."

Sisko was impressed. He _had_ a Level Seven clearance. A fact that Dax was privy to. But he had only acquired that level of clearance upon accepting command of _Deep Space Nine_. As a regional commander he required it. He also knew that theoretically there were only ten levels in total but he had heard rumors of the "ultraviolet" levels within Starfleet Command itself.

"Excuse me, Lt. Hathaway," he took her place at the station. Level Seven required the standard voiceprint but it also needed a retina scan. He gave the computer what it required and a file came up on the screen.

A hazy image of the Cardassian in life appeared. It was a scene of utter carnage and she seemed to be in the midst of it. Details of the incident were included as well as her name.

"Illya Galan," Sisko mused. "Why does that name sound familiar?"

Dax was skimming the file, "It says that Galan was a suspected operative for the Obsidian Order. That has never been confirmed just as her ouster was never verified."

"They threw her out?" Sisko was surprised. "I thought the Obsidian Order lived by the motto, 'once in, never out'."

"You're thinking of the Maquis," Bernstein chuckled.

"Or the IRA," Hathaway blurted. Seeing every eye turned towards her she grew embarrassed, "You know? The Irish Republican Army from Twentieth Century Earth."

"I vaguely remember them from my course work when I studied for this job," Bernstein suddenly recalled, "The Maquis share a lot with them."

"Didn't they eventually buy into the political peace process?" Hathaway asked, "Something about a power sharing arrangement in their territory?"

"At least _most_ of them did," Bernstein corrected. "Splinter factions kept the sectarian violence alive for decades afterwards. Fortunately they only had a few followers, not much funding, and didn't rack up a heavy body count."

Sisko glared at her and she planted her fists on her hips, "What? I'm trying to look at the upside here. If the Maquis really are similar then the similarities may hold out as time goes by."

"The Maquis aren't interested in peace. They're only out for revenge," Sisko declared.

Bernstein's eyes went flinty, "Some, maybe. But the majority wants their homes to _stay_ their homes and not be forced out of them."

"If they truly wanted that then they would trust in the system," Sisko argued.

"Why?" Bernstein demanded to know. "The system screwed them."

"Are you a sympathizer?" Sisko suddenly asked.

"Excuse me?" Bernstein was affronted.

"You heard me, _Chief Constable_ ," Sisko emphasized her title in a derogatory way.

"Maybe," Bernstein allowed, "Or maybe I'm just tired of covering up murders committed by the Cardassian _settlers_ in our city."

"What are you saying?" Sisko's anger was totally derailed.

"Oh, they not really murders. They're _accidents_ ," Bernstein sneered. "But the Cardassians are really good at _accidents_ and they happen every day. Hell, they're practically an hourly event now."

"Have you told the Federation's DMZ representative?" Sisko wondered.

"What do you think?" Bernstein asked sarcastically.

"How did they respond?" Sisko wanted to know.

"They sent _you_ ," Bernstein spat. She collected herself and said, "Gul Evek said the problem is that the Maquis exist. As long as they're free, the Cardassian settlers will kill at the slightest provocation in 'self defense'. So, the Federation representative contacts Starfleet and you magically show up. Don't you find it a little coincidental that Cal Hudson was abducted _before_ you arrived?"

"Yes," Sisko admitted.

"And don't you find it the slightest bit odd that occurs on the same day you shared Hudson's location with Gul Evek?" Bernstein had to wonder.

"Yes," Sisko said again.

"Then just don't sit there!" Bernstein urged, "Do something about it!"

"I intend to question Gul Evek about his part in these events," Sisko announced.

Bernstein threw her hands up in the air and stormed out the room. As she left she shouted back, "Fat lot of good _that's_ going to do!"

Sisko turned to look at Dax. She was giving him a sympathetic smile but there were doubts in her eyes. Sisko could empathize because he shared those doubts. He suddenly realized Hathaway was still standing behind him playing like a hole in space. He turned to her.

"Do you have something to add?" He inquired a little more sharply than intended.

"No sir!" she said crisply. She hesitated a moment then plunged ahead, "Actually, I do. Permission to speak freely, sir?"

"If I didn't want your opinion I wouldn't have asked for it," Sisko tried to be encouraging.

"I think the Commander is being taken for a fool, _sir_ ," Hathaway suddenly threw out. She waited for an eruption but instead Sisko smiled.

"And why is that, Lieutenant?" He asked.

"I've seen what the Cardassians do first hand. There's never been a case of 'self defense'. All the forensic pointed to the Cardies being the aggressors if not downright killers, sir," she shared.

"I see," he pondered this, "You _are_ aware that Starfleet no longer tolerates the term _Cardies_ , are you not?"

"A slip of the lip," she riposted, "It _will_ happen again."

Sisko appreciated the young woman's sudden audaciousness. She was a relatively junior officer yet she was also senior on a posting with little to no support behind it and she was a witness to events that would make the most experienced men or women go mad from frustration. He'd "enjoyed" similar circumstance during the conflict with the Tzenkethi. Fortunately for him, his circumstances had only lasted a few weeks. Hathaway was here until her duty rotation was up.

"Tell me Lieutenant, how long have you been stationed here?" Sisko gently inquired.

"Since the Zone was established," Hathaway confirmed his suspicions. "I guess that would make it nearly twenty-four months."

Sisko inwardly winced. A standard rotation was eighteen months. Not only had Hathaway been given a dismal assignment, they'd buried her in it.

"I know what you're thinking, Commander," Hathaway wore a rueful expression. "I was kind of thinking that Command had forgotten about me as well. The plain truth is that they can't find anybody to replace me. Dezuron is in the same boat." Her expression turned a little more aggravated, "It's not fair what they're doing to Ilk though. He had a transfer lined up to serve aboard your station. Those orders were rescinded because we're serving in such a heap of natural fertilizer that no one will take our place. I can cope but Ilk's just out of the Academy and has enthusiasm to burn."

Sisko wondered what had happened to Hathaway's enthusiasm. Although, he knew the answer. Too many scenes like the one at the housing quad had eroded her idealism.

"I'm going to get answers. I promise," he assured Hathaway.

She gave him a dubious look, "Good luck with that then."

Dax ushered Hathaway to the other side of the room where O'Brien had silently witnessed these events. Dax noted that O'Brien had a rather dour mien.

"Problem, Chief?" She asked.

"The Commander's wasting his time. Gul Evek is gonna deny everything and blame it on us," O'Brien stated.

Dax felt the same way but she had to play it out the way Starfleet wanted, "Maybe, Chief. But we have to try. No one wants another war."

O'Brien grimaced, "And Evek is enough of a prig he'd start one just for the helluva it."

Dax smiled. She may not have put it quite so bluntly but O'Brien had captured the gist of it. Chuckling she agreed with him, "Exactly."

Sisko's conversation didn't even _begin_ well. Evek demanded to know why Starfleet had allowed a Cardassian citizen to be killed, "Weren't you supposed to be there?"

Sisko grated. He found Evek to be officious at the best of time. And this wasn't one of those, "My officers and I arrived precisely on schedule. _However_ , elements within the Cardassian settlers moved before we arrived and attacked the residents of that housing bloc."

"That's not what I heard. I was told that the poor woman was duped into joining the _Federation_ settlers that resided there and they killed her in cold blood," Evek blustered.

"And how do you account for the deaths of the residents?" Sisko wanted to know.

"She defended herself," Evek said as though it were incontrovertible fact.

"She killed nearly _fifty_ people before they managed to overwhelm her and kill her?" Sisko was incredulous.

"On Cardassia, we teach our women how to defend themselves," Evek huffed.

"They're obviously trained very well, especially when they are agents of the Obsidian Order," Sisko baited Evek to see how he'd respond.

"I wouldn't know. The Central Command and the Obsidian Order each run their separate affairs and departments," Evek countered.

"So, you're not denying that this Illya Galan was an Obsidian Order agent?" Sisko tightened his grip on the conversation.

"Why would I deny it?" Evek acted as though he were affronted. "I have no idea if this woman really is who you claim she is or if she was an agent of the Obsidian Order."

"So you're saying that she was a _former_ agent of the Order?" Sisko asked.

"Of course she is a _former_ agent! She's dead. Everything about her life is in the past tense. And her blood is on your hands!" Evek grated.

"Gul Evek, is the Central Command running weapons into the Demilitarized Zone and training paramilitaries in how to use them?" Sisko got to the question he'd been dying too ask.

"No more than Starfleet is supplying the Maquis," Evek snapped. Evek saw that he had achieved a verbal superiority of sorts, "I've rendered what assistance that I could, Commander. But your inaction cost the life of one of our citizens. We will have justice. One way or another."

"Wait! What do you…?" Sisko abruptly stopped as Evek cut the transmission.

The others across the room began talking softly amongst themselves. Sisko could tell his expression had completely given him away and that things had proceeded as they'd expected. Not wanting to give up, Sisko reached out to his last potential ally among the Central Command.

It took several moments for Gul Dukat to respond but when he did he looked most pleased, "Why Commander, I haven't been expecting a message from you. How are things on _Terok Nor_?"

Sisko didn't respond. He couldn't imagine Dukat being so out of the loop that he wasn't aware of Sisko's present location. But then again, Dukat had been caught out in the cold regarding the Central command's arming the Cardassian settlers in the DMZ in the first place.

Dukat suddenly had a crafty look in his eye, "But you're not aboard _Terok Nor_. Rather you are in the Demilitarized Zone and things have not gone your way."

"There have been murders, Dukat, including the death of a Cardassian woman," Sisko shared.

Dukat nodded gravely yet Sisko has the feeling he was being toyed with, "Indeed. Poor Illya Galan. She will not be missed."

"Wait!" Sisko almost yelped, "You know who Illya Galan is?"

"Of course," Dukat said silkily, "Galan was a _suspected_ member of the Obsidian Order. Of course, it is only a theory. If it is true then Galan was an assassin, quite an accomplished one from all reports, but she enjoyed her work a _little_ too much. The Obsidian Order prefers skullduggery to bloodbaths. Massacres tend to get noticed."

 _You should know,_ Sisko thought. He also noted that Dukat wasn't condemning Galan's actions on moral grounds but rather practicality when it came to covert operations.

"So how did Galan end up in the DMZ?" Sisko inquired.

Dukat spread his hands in an expansive gesture, "Perhaps she wanted a new life? Who knows? What matters is she's dead and the Cardassian people will want an answer for that death."

"Dukat, she was part of an operation to kidnap Cal Hudson," Sisko divulged.

"Hudson? The Maquis leader?" Dukat sounded surprised but Sisko could see in his eyes that this was old news to him, "Weren't you on your way to arrest him?"

Sisko nodded and Dukat kept the game in play, "And someone beat you to him?" He shook his head sorrowfully, "Really Commander, I'm sorry for your loss."

"Dukat, I need to find Hudson," Sisko insisted.

Anger appeared in Dukat's eyes, "You had your chance with him, Commander. You gave it, and him, up in a moment of sentimentality. I warned you then that you were being a fool. This is the price you must pay for that foolishness."

Dukat looked at him without remorse, "I suggest you let things take their natural course."

"But the Cardassian paramilitaries will hand Hudson over to Evek," Sisko tried again.

"No, they won't. The Central Command has no affiliation with the paramilitaries. _You_ saw to that," Dukat countered. "These are private citizens who have taken the law into their own hands. I suggest that if you want a solution to the problem you convince your government to allow _my_ government to move in and deal with the perpetrators."

"You're suggesting we allow military units into the Zone?" Sisko wasn't certain he'd heard him correctly.

"Temporarily, of course," Dukat assured him.

"No deal," Sisko's temper started to flair.

Dukat spread his hands again, "Then there's nothing that I can do. Good day, Commander. Call me if you change your mind."

The screen shifted to a UFP symbol. Sisko called Hathaway over, "What are Starfleet's assets in the DMZ?"

"You'd know that better than I would," she admitted.

Sisko asked who Hathaway's superior officer was and she referred him to Starbase 211. Captain Haewoo took the call in short order. He seemed rather interested in Sisko.

"I've heard of you and your command," Haewoo admitted, "Aren't you a tad junior to command a Deep Space station?"

"I leave those decisions to Starfleet Command," Sisko riposted.

Haewoo smirked, "Good answer. Especially when it concerns the DMZ. Now, how can I help you?"

"I need a list of your undercover Starfleet assets in the local area," Sisko explained.

"I'm afraid that won't be possible," Haewoo replied, "Those officer's lives are at stake."

"But I need intelligence on a developing situation," Sisko divulged.

"You mean Calvin Hudson's capture?" Haewoo asked. Seeing Sisko's surprise, he chuckled, " _Everyone_ knows of your mission, Commander. It's the biggest open secret in the DMZ."

"I still need to acquire that intelligence," Sisko insisted.

Haewoo sighed, "I'll tell you what, there a new player on Ronara Prime. Contact him and see what you can find out."

"Is he Starfleet?" Sisko didn't like the sound of this already.

"Word is he _was_. He runs a scoutship now. Both he and his first officer were Starfleet. The rumor is they've gone into business for themselves," Haewoo described the situation.

"What's their business?" Sisko hated to ask.

"Information," Haewoo revealed, "Which _you_ need and _they_ might have."

"A mercenary?" Sisko didn't relish that thought.

Haewoo weighed his answer, "More of an information broker."

"Does this 'broker' have a name?" Sisko grated at being reduced to this level.

"Brin Macen," Haewoo supplied the name, "And watch out, he's an El-Aurian."

Sisko inwardly groaned. Sisko had only encountered one El-Aurian and he'd been a con artist who'd made life on the station difficult for a time. He was now in jail and the situation had been stabilized, much to Quark's relief. Having a rival bar and casino owner aboard _DS9_ had cut into Quark's profits.

"So noted," Sisko replied. "Where should I look?"

"Ronara Prime only has one spaceport. A favorite tavern for the assorted crews that gather there is the Old Biddy. Go there," Haewoo suggested.

"How will I find this 'Macen'?" Sisko wondered.

"Trust me, Commander. He'll find you. Open secret and all that," Haewoo chuckled again and signed off.

Sisko rose from the station, "It seems we're going to Ronara Prime."

"We'll need to collect Julian," Dax reminded him.

* * *

A flood of voices could be heard as several constables returned from their patrols. Two figures stood out as they approached. One was Bashir. The doctor looked tired and frustrated. His crewmates assumed it was because he'd lost too many patients for his taste.

Beside him was a young woman roughly Hathaway's age. She saw Hathaway and positively glowed. She moved into Hathaway's body space.

"Hey sexy. Miss me?" she asked.

Hathaway stroked the other woman's cheek where a smear of blood was crusted on. The woman smiled, "Don't worry it's not mine."

Sisko had just enough time to register that the stranger was a medic when the two women kissed. Hathaway turned to Sisko, "Commander, this my wife, Desiree Johnson."

"A pleasure," Sisko said with a smile. Hathaway introduced Dax and O'Brien to Johnson as well.

Johnson gave Sisko a warm smile, "Any chance you could swing a transfer for my darling wife? I'd love to dust this mud ball off my feet."

Sisko's smile became beaming. He could remember his wife, Jennifer, following him from posting to posting over the years. Eventually Jake had been born and the entire family traveled to new assignments. Of course, Jennifer had died in Sisko's line of duty. He could only hope the same wouldn't happen to Johnson.

"I'm sorry. There's nothing I can do except put another good word in," Sisko ruefully admitted.

Johnson pouted as she turned to Hathaway, "We're gonna be stuck here forever."

Hathaway caressed Johnson's cheek and gently kissed her again, "We'll get out, sweetie. Trust me."

"What have I missed?" Bashir suddenly interjected. The couple grinned wryly at having their moment interrupted. Dax smiled at the awkwardness that was totally in Bashir's character. O'Brien merely rolled his eyes at his youthful friend's indiscretion.

Sisko was amused but he was properly somber considering his reply, "You're just in time, Doctor. We're leaving.

"Oh, are we retuning to the station?" Bashir asked hopefully.

"No, we're headed for the nearest inhabited world," Sisko let him down easy, "We have a meeting to keep."

"Really?" Bashir sounded surprised. "With whom?"

"I have no idea," Sisko balefully admitted.

.


	5. Chapter 5

As the _Rio Grande_ flew across celestial boundaries, Dax took a moment to describe the differences between Umoth and its closest inhabited neighbor, "Ronara isn't like Umoth. Where Umoth is arid and dusty, Ronara Prime is lush and forested."

She paused to let that comparison sink in before continuing, "Ronara is covered by sixty-four percent surface water. It has one 'super continent' which has vast mountain ranges which produce rich, verdant valleys between them. A few of those valleys make up the settled areas of the colony. The capital, Enara, rests in the largest valley and houses more than seventy percent of the population."

"What's the local industry?" O'Brien asked.

Dax smiled, "Nice of you to ask, Chief. Ronara has two major industries. One is agriculture. Most of the planet's valleys are cultivated. Caretakers oversee them but the bulk of the labor force commutes from the cities to fields."

"They must not rely upon ground transports then." O'Brien opined.

Dax's smile grew, "You're right. The planet boasts the highest concentration of air travel of any Zone colony. They need the infrastructure to navigate the rough terrain.

"They must be quite industrialized then," Bashir suddenly spoke, "I mean, air transports require a lot of manufacturing and maintenance."

"He's right, Lieutenant," O'Brien supported his friend. "We're not talking a simple cottage industry here."

Dax was positively delighted, "Which makes part of Ronara's manufacturing capacity. They not only specialize in the construction of antigrav vehicles but the bulk of their output is in retrofitting spacecraft."

"And I just bet the Maquis are all over the retrofitting shops," O'Brien commented.

"That's the theory, Chief," Sisko confirmed. "Starfleet Security and Starfleet Intelligence are working on that angle."

"Can I ask what the name of any the shops are?" O'Brien wondered.

Sisko reviewed a padd, "I believe the most suspect shop is McMasters Retrofit. Owned by…"

"Eric McMasters!" O'Brien suddenly blurted.

Sisko was momentarily startled and then he smiled, "You know him?"

O'Brien shook his head, "Only by reputation. McMasters designs and builds custom racing shuttles and refits runabouts and other small craft into sporting models."

"No wonder the Maquis have an active interest in him," Sisko realized.

"Starfleet's right to be worried. McMasters could easily refit and weaponize _Peregrine_ -class couriers and other similar ships like what we saw when we last faced Hudson," O'Brien ventured.

"But _why_ would he?" Sisko wondered.

"Sir, McMasters was born and raised in these parts and now he works here. I'd say he has just as much as a right to be disgruntled as anyone else," O'Brien shared.

"Chief, the Demilitarized Zone was established to _end_ the violence and _help_ these people." Sisko stated.

"Yeah, but that's an outsider's perspective. I think the Major was right. She should be here. She could tell you how these people fought for almost two decades only to have their hopes and dreams tossed back in their faces. I guess if it were me I'd be disgruntled too," O'Brien admitted.

"What are you telling me, Chief?" Sisko's voice got very low and O'Brien knew he was treading a fine line here.

"Sir, you can't have served in the Border Wars, particularly the front lines, and not empathize with the colonists," O'Brien confessed.

"Empathize but not _sympathize_?" Sisko saw the distinction the Irishman was making.

O'Brien shook his head, "No sir. The Federation did what they could. They couldn't satisfy everyone so they made the best compromise that they could. But that compromise hasn't sat well with some. Still it's no excuse for killing and terrorism. People from Ireland know that better than anyone."

A light flashed in Sisko's brain, "Lt. Hathaway mentioned something about an 'Irish Republican Army' movement that was like the Maquis. Care to elaborate?"

O'Brien grew sad as he explained Ireland's divided Twentieth Century history. When he finished describing the history of the IRA, he expanded into general history, "Of course, Ireland _was_ united under the flag of the Republic nearly a hundred years later, after the Third World War. By then people wanted to reach out to one another because they were sick of the fighting."

He struggled to explain what was on his mind, "The Irish know what it's like to be twisted up by hate and we know it's not worth it. The Maquis are in that boat now. Hopefully it won't take them as long to figure out it isn't worth it."

"Nice sentiments, Chief," Bashir piped up.

Dax smirked as she shook her head, _Leave it to Julian._

"Yes, they are," Sisko said drolly. He turned back to the OPS station and smiled, "It seems we're almost there."

"We'll be in the system in less than five minutes," Dax said happily. "But who knows how long it'll take traffic control to let us set down?"

"It shouldn't take that long," Sisko offered his opinion, "After all, it's just one out of the way colony."

Dax gave him a longsuffering glance.

* * *

In the end, their transit of the solar system to Ronara Prime took an hour. Ronara was the fourth planet in the system. Not quite out of the habitable zone but drifting towards it edge. Starfleet's data on the world said it was cooler than most Class-M worlds. Even Bajor was warmer and Sisko found that world cooler than Earth.

There was an unexpected amount of traffic throughout the system and in orbit above the planet. Dax commented on this and Sisko noted it as well.

"It makes it easier for the Maquis to slip in and out this way," he deduced.

They landed at Enara's main spaceport. There were actually _three_. Each of the auxiliary fields served the refit shops and engineers moved ships from the fields to their individual shops and back out again when the work was finished.

Downloading a map from the planet's InfoNet database, the Starfleet crew set out. The Old Biddy wasn't far from the spaceport but it was near to the _other_ side of it. Dax quipped that they'd see who'd pass their Starfleet yearly medical exam tonight. Bashir thought so highly of the idea he went back inside the _Rio Grande_ to get his medical kit.

The local night was very cool. Sisko was actually pleased with the literal hike across the port. Dax was thrilled by the weather since her native Trillius Prime was even slightly cooler than Ronara. O'Brien merely mentioned that it was a lot like home. Bashir, though, the good doctor was quite unhappy. Born and raised in the Sudan on Earth, he'd learned to tolerate other climes but it didn't mean he favored them.

Bashir was quick to point out the old carved wooden sign above the door of the Old Biddy. They entered in to find a quaint public house. O'Brien was the first to mention the décor.

"It's like the pubs back home," he said, grinning from ear to ear.

Everyone in the establishment suddenly went silent. Sisko observed that it seemed more to do with their uniforms than anything else.

"Perhaps we should get a drink," he suggested.

"Thank God," O'Brien sighed.

They approached the bar and the owner simply stared at them. After sixty seconds of silent scrutiny Sisko finally asked, "Could we get some drinks?"

"What'll you be having?" the bartender asked.

"A Bushmills," O'Brien spoke first, "Make it a double."

O'Brien noted the baleful look Sisko was giving him and he shrugged, "It's been a helluva day."

Sisko had to agree but he'd prefer for O'Brien to get a synthale so he could shrug aside the inebriating effects of the alcohol if need be. Judging from the hostility in the room, they might actually have to fight their way out.

"And what'll you lot be having?" the bartender asked warily.

"What do have in the way of synthale?" Sisko inquired.

The host shrugged, "Just about everything."

"Try a Frenner's," a new voice said. They all looked to the left and saw a man dressed in civilian clothes standing at the counter. He grinned, "It's a local brew. Helping the local economy will buy a little goodwill. Not much but it'll be a start."

The barkeep served up their drinks and asked for payment in Cardassian currency. Sisko was stunned, "I thought this was a Federation colony?"

"It _was_ ," the barkeep growled, "Now it ain't. No freebies for Starfleet types that ain't smart enough to carry some coin either. Pay up or take off."

The stranger handed the barkeep some coins and told the Starfleet officers, "Don't worry. _This_ one is on me."

"It seems we're in your debt again, Mr…?" Sisko asked.

The man smiled, "Macen. Brin Macen. But you must have suspected that by now. I heard you were looking for me."

Sisko studied Macen. Most Starfleet Intelligence officers that he'd encountered, even _former_ ones, exuded an air of caution. Macen didn't. He seemed surprisingly open and relaxed. Just like Martus Mazur had. Sisko immediately decided he didn't like Macen.

Macen suddenly smirked, "No fair comparing me Martus. He's a very _misguided_ individual."

Sisko suddenly wondered if Macen had telepathic abilities. No reports regarding El-Aurians indicated the species possessed such abilities. But then again, they were a highly enigmatic race.

"What makes you say that?" Sisko guardedly inquired.

Macen looked amused, "Everything about you is screaming it, Commander."

O'Brien tugged at Sisko's sleeve and pulled him aside. In hashed tones the Chief conferred with his commanding officer, "Sir, the lead bartender in Ten Forward aboard the _Enterprise_ was an El-Aurian."

"Guinan?" Sisko asked. Seeing O'Brien's momentary confusion Sisko shared with him, "I travelled to _DS9_ aboard the _Enterprise_ , remember? I spent some time in Ten Forward."

O'Brien nodded, "Guinan did things like that as well."

"Like what, exactly?" Sisko pinned him down.

"Huge intuitive leaps," O'Brien answered, "She'd figure everything there was to know about you upon first meeting you. Sometimes it was stuff you didn't know about yourself."

"I see," Sisko and O'Brien rejoined the others.

"The Chief reminding you about Guinan?" Macen inquired.

"I take it you know her?" Sisko bristled. The situation was spiraling out of his control and he had no idea where this conversation was headed.

"Of course I know her," Macen revealed, "It was Guinan's idea for our group to head to Earth. She said we could blend in there."

Sisko looked to O'Brien, who nodded, "We found out that Guinan had visited Earth in the 1890's. It could've been her idea for the El-Aurians to come here. She seems to like humans."

"This is all well and good, but it doesn't answer the question you really have," Macen ventured.

Sisko felt the metaphorical rug slipping again as he asked, "How did you know I wanted to find you?"

"Open secrets, remember?" Macen smirked again.

Sisko remembered Captain Haewoo using that same expression. He'd certainly file a report questioning Haewoo's loyalties. Macen shook his head in disappointment.

"You really should leave the good captain alone. He did you a favor," Macen suggested.

"How so?" Sisko wanted to know.

"Are you sure you don't want to sit down for this?" Macen asked, "My associate has saved a few tables in the corner. You could all join us."

Sisko looked to Dax. She nodded. O'Brien agreed as did Bashir. Sisko considered their input.

Macen looked exasperated for the first time, "Look, we're the only friendly faces in here. It's us or the cold outside."

Sisko relented and Macen guided Sisko's crew to the tables he and Danan had saved.

Dax saw Danan, "Lees!"

They each ran to the other and embraced. They seemed to exchange hundreds of words in a few seconds time. Sisko and the other were totally surprised. Macen was decidedly amused.

"Well, that's unexpected," he quipped.

Dax and Danan were chatting away when Sisko each cleared his throat.

"Dax?" Sisko sought to remind her they were here on business.

"Lees, we need to talk with these nice people," Macen was a little more insistent with Danan.

"What?" the Trills said in stereo. They looked back at each other and laughed.

"We have business to finish, Lieutenant," Sisko insisted.

"Later," Dax said happily to Danan. They each took a seat at the table. Sisko was somewhat irked to discover they sat beside each other. Macen merely smiled and shrugged and then took a seat at Danan's other side. Sisko filled out the complement at that table. Bashir and O'Brien took the nearby table. They could overhear but they were relegated to the sidelines.

O'Brien began sampling his whiskey as Bashir stirred, "Leave them be, Julian. They have some talking to do."

"But who is that strange Trill woman?" Bashir fretted.

"Dax will share if she feels we need to know." O'Brien reassured him.

* * *

"So, you want to know where Cal Hudson is," Macen mused.

"First I want to know more about _you_ ," Sisko demanded.

Macen wasn't offended, "Tell me what you already know."

"You're a _former_ Commander in Starfleet Intelligence. You served for seventy years and then resigned to become an _information broker_ ," Sisko's disdain at the last was clearly evident.

"And you look much better with a mustache and goatee rather than a full beard," Dax opined. She gave Sisko a _What?_ look as he shot her an annoyed glance.

"Doesn't he though?" Danan threw out there, "It took a few hundred years off."

That only served to remind Sisko that Macen was over four hundred years old despite looking like he was in his thirties. Turning to Danan, he continued; "And you're formerly Lt. Commander Lisea Danan. Your last assignment was as the Starfleet liaison to the Amagosa Observatory. You suddenly resigned your commission without warning departed the Observatory with Commander Macen."

"Please, it's _Captain_ now," Macen quipped.

Sisko wasn't amused, "Neither of you gave any indications of leaving Starfleet before your sudden resignations. On your way out of Starfleet, you managed to obtain the recently decommissioned Starfleet scout, _USS Tiberius_ , and next you have a crew and are operating in the DMZ."

"It's the _SS Odyssey_ now and I detect an accusation," Macen mused.

"Are you working for the Maquis?" Sisko came out and asked it.

Macen looked taken aback, "Commander, I work for _everyone_."

"Even the Cardassians?" Sisko baldly demanded to know.

"If they can meet my price," Macen replied smoothly.

"That's odd considering what the Cardassians did to you," Sisko opined.

Both Dax and Danan were suddenly very alert. Macen shrugged, "It was war."

"But how did you manage to escape your interrogators?" Sisko wondered.

Macen smirked, "I do believe that is classified information. It's 'Need to Know'."

"I am a Deep Space commander and I have a need to know," Sisko asserted.

"No, _you_ don't," Macen dryly retorted, "I'll tell you what though, I'll warn you off of trying rescue Hudson. He'd beyond your reach."

"How do you know that?" Sisko inquired.

Macen grinned, "Because I know what _Starfleet_ knows."

"I was told they didn't know anything," Sisko admitted.

"You just haven't asked the right person," Macen suggested. He rose to leave and Danan said her goodbyes to Dax. As they stepped away from the tables, Sisko asked them one last question.

"How will I find you if I need to talk to you again?" he wondered.

"Try coming back here. I'll hear about it. After all, the _entire_ planet is watching you right now. Civilians, the Maquis, the Cardassians, and even Starfleet," Macen explained and then left.

Afterwards, Sisko motions for Bashir and O'Brien to join him and Dax. He asked for opinions. Dax was quick with a comment.

"It seems that wheels have been set inside of wheels. Curzon dealt with a lot of machinations like this. Enough so that I know we aren't being told the full story by anyone," she said.

"I agree with you," Sisko confessed, "I think we need to get back to the _Rio Grande_ and there I can crawl my way through Starfleet Command and find out just what the hell is going on."

They finished their drinks and headed for the spaceport. Unbeknownst to them they were followed by several different groups. They returned to the confines of their runabout and most of the groups set up various camps to observe the Starfleet team. One pair moved away.

* * *

Macen and Danan were stopped by Aric Tulley and three Maquis as they began to depart. Tulley wore a thin smile, "Going somewhere?"

"Apparently wherever you're taking us to," Macen retorted.

The Maquis separated Macen from Danan. He was taken to an air car and had a hood thrown over his head. He tried to count off how many minutes they'd been in the air before they landed. He was then escorted, hood on, through the Maquis base. Finally he was deposited in a chair and the hood was yanked off. He blinked as his eyes adjusted to the light. He was only marginally surprised to discover sitting opposite him, behind a desk, was Ro Laren.


	6. Chapter 6

Ro rose from the desk and approached Macen. He simply sat there, studying her. Finally she smiled.

"Oh, get up so I can say hello to you properly," she insisted.

Macen stood. He knew that Ro's height had a tendency to intimidate most men. Many of the women she'd served with had been bothered it by it as well. The first man who didn't seem bothered was Picard. It didn't bother some people just because they were taller than her. Will Riker and Worf fell under this category. Macen knew he also belonged to this group. He'd wondered, while she loomed over him, how he'd react if he knew she was actually teller than him.

He shrugged the thought aside. It was a moot point anyway but it was factor that could affect him with someone else so it was important to keep in mind. He held out his hand for her grasp it after he'd stood and she smirked.

"Am I allowed to hug you now that we're both out of uniform and you don't outrank me anymore?" she asked.

Macen smiled, "Sure."

Ro warmly embraced him and then stepped back but she gripped his shoulder, "Prophets, it's good to see you again."

This amused Macen since they'd only met once before. He'd been the mission specialist on a mission she'd led. It had been her first command experience and she'd outperformed herself. Afterwards Macen had suggested to Picard that she attend Advanced Tactical Training. This surprised Picard. The captain had already considered her but he also had a few other candidates in mind. When Riker endorsed her as well following the mission, Ro turned into _the_ candidate of choice.

"We only worked together once, Laren," Macen downplayed her happiness.

"But we kept in touch until I went AWOL," Ro countered. "And your constant advice to follow my conscience is why I abandoned Starfleet.

Macen grinned ruefully, "I wouldn't advertise that fact."

Ro nodded her understanding. She eagerly posed the question on her mind, "So what are you doing in my neighborhood? Did you come to sign up?"

"I came to help," Macen admitted.

"Why do I get the feeling that's not an answer?" Ro asked warily.

"I can help, just not on your terms," Macen informed her.

"What's that mean?" there was an edge to her voice now.

"Nechayev recruited _me_ to recruit _you_ ," Macen revealed. "A fact _you_ are not supposed to know."

"I bet," Ro snorted.

"Look, the arrangement is fairly simple. You _wouldn't_ report to Starfleet. You _wouldn't_ report to Alynna. You'd be free to do as you wish," Macen assured her.

"I have that now. Why do I need Nechayev crawling up my backside?" Ro was bitter.

"She's only the source. _I'm_ the pipeline," Macen stated.

"The pipeline for what?" Ro suspected a trap.

"I can provide intelligence from Starfleet. That kind of data can expand your operations. I can give you enemy troop movements, ship deployments, _and_ the location of Cardassian paramilitaries," Macen disclosed. " _And_ I can provide details of when Starfleet is closing in on your operations. All you have to do is accept my offer and act upon the intelligence I provide."

"What makes you can get all of that information on a consistent basis _if_ I accept?" Ro narrowed the question down.

"Because I'm licensed to operate within Cardassian space," Macen dropped that bombshell as though it were nothing. Ro was understandably stunned.

"How did you manage that?" Ro asked. "The Cardies are paranoid bastards. Why would they let a so-called 'information broker' into their territory? Civilian or not?"

"Because they see me as primarily being a purveyor of luxury items from locations they no longer have access to," Macen grinned.

"You're a smuggler?" Ro couldn't believe it.

"Look, a few baubles here or there won't tilt the economies of either side and if it grants me the access that I need…" he let that hang. "I'd say that's worth it."

"Okay, say I'm taking this seriously, which I'm not yet. What do you have to offer?" she inquired.

"Give me an hour and I'll have your answer," Macen assured her.

"An hour?" Ro was skeptical.

"It took twenty minutes to get here," Macen replied. "It'll take twenty minute to get back. Figure five to ten to get somebody from the _Odyssey_ to beam us up. I _will_ require the release of my first officer. Twenty minutes to load the data onto a padd and five to ten to return to the surface. Then I can meet with your goon squad again."

"Okay, but I haven't told you what information I'm looking for," Ro reminded him.

He smiled, "You want what _everybody_ wants: the location of Cal Hudson."

Ro tried not to visibly react, "And you can get that?"

"I already knew where they took him after the kidnappers left Umoth. I just don't know if they're still there," he shared.

"Starfleet knows where he is?" Ro snapped. "Then why the hell is Sisko running around asking about it?"

"Starfleet knows. They've _always_ known. They're just not telling Sisko," Macen revealed.

"But why?" Ro was flabbergasted.

"Because _someone_ cut a backdoor deal with the Cardassians to eliminate the 'Maquis problem'," Macen divulged.

"Why the hell isn't Nechayev going along with this?" Ro wondered. "It seems to be her style."

"Alynna didn't broker the deal. If she had, she'd be more than happy to let Hudson hang," Macen admitted.

"Lovely," Ro sardonically quipped. "All right," Ro sighed. "If you know the problem you also know we have to move fast."

"Faster than you think," Macen warned, "Evek will be in position to launch a long range shuttle in twenty hours."

"Why the hell is he waiting for twenty hours?" Ro cried out in exasperation.

"Evek purposefully took the patrol route furthest from Solosos," Macen grinned. "That's where Hudson _was_ taken by the way. Anyway, it offered him plausible deniability when Sisko started trying to track Hudson down."

"All of this cloak and dagger idiocy is giving me a headache," Ro complained.

"Never fear, all will be well," Macen replied jauntily. "Summon your minions have me dropped off in Enara again."

"You'd better not screw with me," Ro warned.

Macen looked hurt, "Believe me, Laren. We're actually on the same side. I share the goals of the Maquis. I just can do more damage to the Cardassians on the periphery of the fight than in the middle of it."

"That remains to be seen," Ro said skeptically. She pressed a button on her desk and Tulley and his partner in crime entered in. The other Maquis put the hood over Macen's head and shoved him out of the office space.

Ro motioned for Tulley to step closer, "Take Alea with you."

"Why?" Tulley sounded dubious.

"I need her to read over the information Macen is going to give us _before_ you return to base," Ro said snippily.

"Problems?" Tulley asked.

"The Cardies are moving a hell of a lot faster than we'd hoped for. We have to be ready to move as soon as possible," Ro explained.

"I'll send Kalinda your way," Tulley informed her.

Ro patted him on the arm, "Thanks Aric. I don't know what I'd do without you."

Tulley exited the space wearing a genuinely happy smile.

* * *

Sisko sat in the _Rio Grande's_ cockpit while the others sat in the rear crew compartment. They'd enjoyed a meal and now O'Brien and Bashir were playing a game of darts. They'd brought a spare board and darts that they'd squirreled away in case the one at Quark's was taken down. Dax downloaded some material into a padd and returned to the cockpit. She sat at the CONN reading while Sisko navigated Starfleet Command's hierarchy from OPS.

Dax smiled to herself as he navigated the depths of Starfleet Security's command structure. She had to give him credit when he arrived at the Director of Starfleet Security's desk twenty minutes later. Admiral Furrst gazed back at Sisko with some irritation.

"Well Commander, you've thoroughly disrupted my staff to the point they foisted you off on me. What can I possibly do for you?" Furrst asked with some irritation.

"I need the whereabouts of Calvin Hudson and the identities of his captors," Sisko came straight to the point.

Furrst smiled. As a Caitian that revealed a healthy set of fangs, "I see. And who will you contact when I tell you to go to hell?"

"Excuse me?" Sisko couldn't quite believe what he was hearing.

"Hudson is dead or will soon be wishing he was," Furrst replied. "Measures have already been taken since Hudson's defection to the Maquis so his loss will be negligible."

"Admiral, I was ordered to _capture_ Hudson not to hand him over to the Cardassians," Sisko pointed out.

"So?" Furrst wondered, "The end result is the same."

"Not for Hudson," Sisko grated. "Surrendering him is tantamount to a death sentence even _if_ the Cardassians sentence him to a labor camp.

"Calvin Hudson knew the risks he was taking when he resigned his commission. Frankly I don't believe Starfleet owes him anything," Furrst shared his assessment. He studied Sisko, "You're bound and determined to go over my head, aren't you?"

"Yes, Admiral," Sisko confirmed the suspicion. "I'd like to speak with Admiral Marne."

Furrst smiled again, "Marne recently stepped down. He was replaced by the newly promoted Fleet Admiral Nechayev. Good luck swaying her."

* * *

The screen shifted to a Starfleet Command symbol. Within minutes an ensign answered. She looked distinctly harried but she promised that Nechayev would get back to him as possible. Sisko settled in to wait.

While he waited, he recalled what he knew of Alynna Nechayev. Nechayev had risen through the ranks in Starfleet Intelligence Operations. SI Operations frequently worked alongside Special Operations Command. They were the "dirty tricks" department of Starfleet.

Nechayev rose quickly while developing a reputation for getting the job done. She also developed a reputation as the "Ice Queen" of Starfleet Command upon achieving flag rank. She and Edward Jellico had been friends for years. It galled Jellico that she had risen to Starfleet Command before him but also had risen to Vice Admiral and now Fleet Admiral while he had just made flag rank himself rather recently.

Jellico put the delay in his promotion to Nechayev's supposed interference. Now Jellico was Chief of Operations and it seemed Nechayev had assumed Marne's old role as the overseer of _both_ Starfleet Intelligence and Starfleet Security. She effectively wielded the twin swords that protected interior and exterior security.

The screen shifted and Sisko refocused. Nechayev sat revealed before. She bore Slavic features, pale blonde hair, and cool eyes hardened with resolve.

"Commander," she said in a neutral tone.

"Admiral, I need to discuss an important matter with you," Sisko began without preamble.

"Yes, Admiral Furrst has been discussing the very same matter," Nechayev remarked snarkily.

"Then you know what I want?" Sisko asked.

"Yes, you want Calvin Hudson's whereabouts," Nechayev supplied the question. "But I can tell you that your request is denied. But you rather expected that didn't you? So who will you appeal to now? The C-in-C herself?"

"Admiral, I received my orders from Admiral Bill Ross of Starbase 375," Sisko pointed out.

"And may I remind you that I outrank Admiral Ross?" Nechayev scoffed, "You have to give me a reason to approve this request. A well rationalized argument, not an appeal simply because he is your friend."

"If I can bring Hudson in, I guarantee that we can get him to give up the Maquis' secrets," Sisko promised.

"But the Maquis operate on a cell by cell basis," Nechayev retorted. "Surely Major Kira has explained the concept to you."

"She has. But unlike the Bajoran Resistance, the Maquis _do_ have central command figures privy to _all_ of their secrets," Sisko reminded the admiral, "Hudson is one of the people just as Svetlana Koraponova is another."

"Are you also offering to bring in Koraponova?" Nechayev asked.

Sisko shook his head, "No. She's undoubtedly gone to ground by now."

"And how would you convince Hudson to betray his comrades?" Nechayev wondered.

"Simple. We offer him a choice between us or the Cardassians," Sisko explained.

Nechayev studied him, "And if he chooses the Cardassians over us?"

"I've already made that choice. I offered him a chance to rejoin Starfleet or to choose the Maquis. I let him ruin his life that day. I would do the same again. Make no mistake, Admiral. I'm offering him a choice between life in the stockade or being handed over to Cardassian torturers. I think that any rational man would choose prison," Sisko said sadly.

"Ah, but you're assuming he's still rational," Nechayev commented. She pondered Sisko's offer. Weighing her options, she begins to speak; "I can tell you Commander, that Starfleet arranged for the capture of Calvin Hudson by Cardassian forces."

Sisko was visibly shaken as she continued, "I haven't run down who is responsible but I believe that any person deserves a better fate than what Hudson will receive at the hands of the Cardassians. I can also tell you he's on Solosos. I'll send you what I have and you can decide on whether or not you will proceed."

"Thanks you, Admiral," Sisko said gratefully.

A thin smile blossomed on her features, "Success makes the greatest of thanks, Commander."

Sisko notes that she hasn't cut the transmission, "Yes?"

"I do have a contingency plan," Nechayev informed him. "Even if you choose not to go, it will be in play. Do you understand?"

"Understood," Sisko confirmed.

"Good, because Hudson will be brought in or silenced one way or the other," Nechayev warned him.

The transmission was cut at that point leaving Sisko pondering the implications of that last statement. Sisko looks to Dax as he loads the navigation data into her board. She lifted the runabout off of Ronara Prime and heads for Solosos. They expected to get there in a matter of hours.

* * *

Macen and Danan met Tulley and Alea at the Old Biddy. They sat at the same table that the information gatherers had met Sisko and Dax. The three other Maquis sat at the adjacent table just as O'Brien and Bashir had done.

Upon introduction, Macen took Alea's hand and lightly kissed it. Alea blushed and turned to Danan, "Does he always do that?"

"Only with me," Danan wryly admitted.

"I'm sorry but your reputation precedes you," Macen gushed.

Alea suddenly looked very uncomfortable. Macen gave her an almost imperceptible nod and she relaxed a little bit. Macen would keep the young Idanian's secret but it came at a price. She had to sell his data to Ro.

He'd contacted her after he'd left Starfleet and was gathering his crew. Alea was part of the Maquis as an undercover military advisor and intelligence asset. She'd never intended to be thrust into the limelight. Macen's offer of assisting Ro made Alea's cover more plausible.

Alea reviewed Starfleet's records, the very same records Sisko was perusing while on his way to Solosos. Alea gave Tulley an approving nod, "The information is solid."

"However, there's a new wrinkle," Macen suddenly brought up the potential bad news, "Commander Sisko has also been given this data. Odds are he'll make a play too."

Tulley scowled, "We could do a lot with a ship like yours. Why aren't you picking up a phaser and helping out?"

Macen looked bemused, "First off, the _Odyssey_ is very distinctive. Every Cardassian outpost and sweeper is watching her at every moment. Second, I haven't been invited yet."

"I'll pass that along," Tulley said menacingly.

"You do that," Macen nonchalantly replied.

* * *

Back at the Maquis compound, Alea made her report and Ro began devising a plan. Pretty soon she had a rough sketch but she needed hard intel from a former resident. Kalinda pointed out that Thool was originally from Solosos.

The Bolian engineer reported in. Ro began asking questions about the target area. Thool asked for the map and filled in the blanks. The target was a farm with a house and a bunkhouse for the hands. It turned out Thool started his working life as a mechanic on a similar farm.

"The farmhouse will likely be occupied by the new occupants who've taken over the farm. The bunkhouse would be ideal to hold prisoners in. It was meant to house sixty people in a communal living space. It would also have restrooms and a kitchen," Thool explained.

Ro studied the orbital view, "Well, _this_ particular bunkhouse is vulnerable to an approach from the west. There's grove of trees that grow right up to the structure."

"I also have the names of a few contacts," Thool promised, "We'll be able to get ground transports and we'll need them. This farm is sixty kilometers from the closest town."

"Why would we need to go to ground when we can simply beam down?" Ro wondered.

Thool looked a little embarrassed, "The _Indomitable_ is a fine ship but she needs quite a few hands just to keep her in orbit much less in flight. You're going to need those hands for the fighting. That means you'll have to land the _Indie_."

"The _Indie_ , huh?" Ro grinned. She couldn't think of a better nickname for her brand new command. The _Indomitable_ was a _Ju'day_ -class scout, one of a few that had entered Maquis service. Chakotay had received the first. Several more were in the pipeline for other cells.

Chakotay's _Val Jean_ had been the first ship that Eric McMasters had refitted for the Maquis. McMasters' next project had been the _Indomitable_. Ro hadn't given the ship a good field test yet and wondered if now would be that time.

Ro also had to inwardly grin at referring to the _Indie_ as a "new" ship. Her hull was fifty years old and engine components for the class were made anymore so McMasters had to rebuild the engine and call it good. The _Zola_ had proven herself in combat a few times now. Hopefully Ro could coax the same kind of performance out of her ship.

"Point taken," Ro conceded. She revised her ops plan and presented it to Kalinda and Tulley. They both approved so she gathered her potential crew and laid it out for them. They all understood the basics and bought into the plan. For one brief moment, Ro missed Starfleet. The simple "yes, ma'am" that was a way of daily life in Starfleet would make prosecuting a war that much easier.

She sighed; _I knew what I was getting into when I defected. Or at least I thought I did._


	7. Chapter 7

The _Rio Grande_ assumed orbit over Solosos. Dax had requested an orbital insertion rather than a reentry glide path. Sisko wanted the runabout in position to be a more effective tool in tomorrow's operation.

He'd chosen to move in the local morning. Since the suspect farm was only sixty kilometers away from Zyrex, the closest city with a spaceport, he'd opted to spend the night in local accommodations and leave the runabout where it was. The ship's systems would be locked out from any potential boarders.

They beamed down to the local streets and began wandering, looking for shelter. After being rejected by several proprietors one warily agreed to let them stay. Although they carried no luggage, the guests were first shown to their rooms. They had three altogether.

O'Brien gave Bashir a rueful look, "Looks like we're bunking together."

"It'll be interesting," Bashir said jovially.

O'Brien merely grunted in disgust, "I'd rather be aboard the ship."

Sisko suggested that they try the local cuisine. They moved on to the attached pub. It was quite a contrast to the Old Biddy. For one thing, the bulk of the patrons were Cardassian. They noted that their uniforms drew a lot of hostile attention. They took a seat and ordered a meal from an indifferent server.

The Starfleet officers drew sullen stares from all of the Cardassian patrons. Although, to be fair, even the Federation colonists seemed embittered towards them. They ate quickly and returned to Sisko's room,

Sisko retrieved his padd and the others groaned but did likewise. They reviewed Starfleet's intelligence again. Dax voiced the opinion that there _had_ to be more. The picture was too incomplete. Bashir suddenly brought up the idea that Starfleet shouldn't run an operation _within_ an operation.

"I mean, what if we end up working at cross purposes?" Bashir wondered.

"Admiral Nechayev is famed for her efficiency. She may see the overlap as just another surety of success," Sisko tried to defend the official line.

"Curzon didn't think much of her." Dax revealed. All eyes turned to her, "He saw her too concerned with results to worry about _how_ she got them. They butted heads on several occasions."

"And how'd that work out?" O'Brien was curious.

"Let's just say in the end it was probably a draw," Dax admitted, "And Nechayev has a long memory. She's a political player with capital to burn. It may have made her arrogant."

"I remember hearing about her coming aboard the _Enterprise_. Seems even Captain Picard walked on eggshells," O'Brien shared.

Sisko was impressed. His impression of Picard was that the patrician officer wouldn't easily bend for anyone. He'd received a similar vibe off of Nechayev. He wondered what it had been like for two unmovable objects to collide.

"I agree," Sisko admitted. "Admiral Nechayev has potentially set us at cross purposes with another Starfleet team. Our assignment has gotten immeasurably harder rather than easier."

"What if they're not Starfleet?" Dax asked. _Everyone_ cast her wary looks. She shrugged, "Nechayev was a big booster for ramping up Starfleet's civilian corps of intelligence gatherers _and_ she plays favorites. Anyone of them could now be in the DMZ getting ready to affect a rescue."

"Let's not forget the portion where she said that Hudson would be _silenced_ one way or another," Bashir reminded everyone. They'd all seen the copy of her transmission with Sisko. While that statement had unsettled them all, it seemed to especially bother Bashir.

Sisko changed the topic, "Let's take break. Check in here in four hours."

"Commander," O'Brien seemed hesitant.

"Yes, Chief?" Sisko tried to be encouraging.

"Seeing as how this is now primarily a Cardassian colony I think we should treat it as hostile territory," O'Brien suggested, "We should travel in pairs and within sight of the group."

"What about our rooms?" Dax asked suddenly.

"I don't follow you," O'Brien admitted.

"Well," her eyes danced mirthfully, "If we're to stay in pairs and within sight of the group, we're going to have to share one room. And it suspiciously sounds as though the boys all want to get in bed with me."

O'Brien blushed and Dax laughed, "Why Chief, is that a little guilt showing? Don't worry, I won't tell Keiko."

Dax noted the Irishman's immediate relief. However, Bashir looked a little _too_ intrigued by the possibility, "Julian, you can forget it. I'm sleeping alone tonight. Although, I'd _prefer_ it to be otherwise."

"I'll be alone as well," Sisko decided, "But you and the doctor can still share a room, Chief."

O'Brien detected Sisko's humor at play. He nodded, "Yes, sir."

"But what is there to do?" Bashir lamented.

"Well, if you're so interested in sharing a bed, you could check out the local women," Dax suggested.

"Indeed!" Bashir brightened.

Dax was happy to see Bashir wasn't sullied with prejudices but he seemed a little _too_ eager, "What do you have in mind, Julian?"

"Well," he began slyly, "There is the mystery of the 'third spoon'."

"The what?" O'Brien made the mistake of asking.

"Well we all know that Cardassians bear a physical mark resembling a spoon on the foreheads," Bashir was still grinning.

"Yeah, that's why we called them 'spoonheads'." O'Brien remarked, "So did the Bajorans. So what?"

"Well, Cardassian women also bear _another_ mark where their clavicle bones join together," Bashir continued. He could see his audience wasn't very receptive yet but he'd saved the best for last, "There's a rumor that there's a _third_ spoon on Cardassian women's bodies. I'd like to find out where it is."

"Bloody hell," O'Brien muttered.

Sisko didn't quite trust himself to react. Dax, on the other hand, was totally amused; "Trust me, Julian. You can't handle _that_ truth."

"I'm just as much a scientist as you are," Bashir sniffed.

Dax broke into a fit of laughter. When it had ended she was flushed and so was Bashir, "Good luck with that, Julian. Really. I mean it."

She began too chortle again when Bashir turned to O'Brien, "Ready, Chief?"

"Ready for what?" O'Brien asked defensively.

" _You_ did suggest that we travel in pairs, Chief. It was a good idea. I think we should stick with it while we're in public areas," Sisko said dryly.

Bashir gave O'Brien a baleful look. The Chief rolled his eyes, "Oh for the luvva… All right. I'll go but stop looking at me like a wounded puppy."

Bashir cheered up immediately, "Too right! Follow me, Chief."

Bashir practically sprinted out the door while O'Brien ambled after him. He called be heard calling, "Slow down. Julian. No one is going anywhere."

Dax bemusedly looked to Sisko, "Is it really wise letting Julian loose on Cardassian women?"

"Given the traditional xenophobia displayed by Cardassians in general, do you really think he'll get anywhere?" Sisko humorously asked.

"Well, the Cardassians do take 'comfort women' everywhere they go," Dax pointed out.

"Comfort _women_ ," Sisko repeated, "Have you ever heard of 'comfort _men_ '?"

Dax snickered, "No. Poor Julian."

"I believe the good doctor asked for this of his own accord," Sisko grinned.

"Now what?" she asked eagerly.

"Now we pour over the materials again and see if there's anything we missed," Sisko said.

Dax pouted. Sisko ignored her so after a moment she began asking questions regarding if Sisko remembered certain events with Curzon. Sisko played along for several minutes but then redirected back to the task at hand.

"Okay," she sighed, "I liked it better when _I_ was the senior official and you did _my_ fetch and carry."

"That was another life, Old Man" Sisko chuckled.

Dax smiled warmly, "So it was."

* * *

Roughly four hours later, Bashir and O'Brien returned to Sisko's room. Bashir was downtrodden but the Chief was pretty upbeat. Bashir's uniform was also covered by an oily green substance. Dax took a whiff and smiled, "Kanar."

"What happened?" Sisko was desperately trying not to laugh.

"Wonder Boy here tried to romance every woman in the bar," O'Brien related, "It seems a few of them, although they rejected him, felt put upon by his simply switching to a new target when shot down. They surrounded him and poured their drinks all over him and stormed out together. At that point the proprietor kicked _us_ out for chasing his business away," O'Brien happily shared.

"Oh, Julian," Dax said sympathetically, "I did warn you though."

"Thank you, Jadzia," Bashir said, "Commander, could I return to the _Rio Grande_ and replicate a new uniform?"

"No," Sisko replied, still trying not to laugh out loud.

"But Commander!" Bashir whined.

"No," Sisko said much more forcefully, "We have an ops plan and no one is going anywhere until we're reviewed it."

Even O'Brien sighed over that. They gathered chairs and sat in a circle around a table stand. They'd surrendered their padds to Sisko earlier. He redistributed them now.

"You'll find the plan loaded on each padd," Sisko shared, "Chief, it could still use some refining. If I remember correctly, you served on Solosos during the war."

"That's right," O'Brien replied uncomfortably.

"Is there anything you can share about the target area?" Sisko wondered.

O'Brien looked pained, "Look Commander, I spent most of my time keeping my head down and our unit's equipment running. I can tell you that these farms are a dime a dozen."

"I'm not sure I follow you," Sisko admitted.

"They're all the same. It happened because the colony relied upon prefab construction materials. So every house looks like every other house and it's the same with the bunkhouses," O'Brien shared. "I can give you a rough outline but the orbital views we got from Starfleet will spell out the terrain a lot better that I can. I can't say I've ever been there but I can tell you that, except for the terrain, it'll look _just_ like its neighbor," O'Brien elaborated.

Sisko nodded, "Thank you, Chief. We'll need your knowledge of the interiors in a moment."

Sisko stated that they'd be transporting to the _Rio Grande_ in the morning and from there to the farmhouse. Sisko and Dax would try the front door while Bashir rested in a nearby grove of trees as back up. Sisko turned to O'Brien.

"Sorry, Chief. You're staying aboard the runabout to man the transporter," Sisko informed him.

O'Brien looked irked, "The runabout's computer can handle the transporter, like _usual_."

Sisko gave him a wry look, "Humans are faster with the transporter than a computer any day. _You're_ even faster than most because you excelled at being a transporter chief. I _need_ you aboard the _Rio Grande_. Our lives could depend upon it."

"But you need someone in the trees to provide cover fire if the Cardassians call reinforcements from the house," O'Brien argued.

"That's where Doctor Bashir will be stationed," Sisko said.

O'Brien turned to gaze at Bashir. The doctor was elated to be trusted with the responsibility yet was unsteady all at the same time. O'Brien had seen that same expression hundreds of times on the front lines.

"All right," he skeptically said to Sisko. Turning to Bashir, he added; "I'll give you some pointers tomorrow. Just to be sure."

Bashir wore a grateful smile, "Thanks, Chief."

Sisko went on to describe the plan as it stood. He then asked if everyone understood. They all said they did. He noticed O'Brien still wasn't happy but he'd do his duty unflinchingly.

"Good night then," Sisko dismissed them, "We're setting out at 0800 local time."

"See ya, boys," Dax strolled out of the room.

Bashir looked to Sisko imploringly, "Can I have my own room as well?"

O'Brien looked affronted and Bashir sheepishly explained, "No offense, Chief. But you snore."

"I do not!" O'Brien insisted.

"Chief, Keiko has come to me and asked if a separate living module could be added to your quarters and if we could soundproof it," Sisko reveals.

"Of all of the…" O'Brien muttered as he rose. He turned to Bashir, "Coming?"

Bashir looked to Sisko one last time and the commander nodded. Bashir had a defeated air as he followed O'Brien to _their_ room. Sisko chuckled as he went to the bed and tested it. He lay down and switched his padd's displayed document to a book he was reading. Almost unconsciously he switched it back to the operations plan and began to go over it again.

* * *

The _SS Indomitable_ flew through space at impulse as it entered the star system containing Solosos. Ro sat at the helm and flew her ship herself just as Chakotay commanded from the CONN. Kalinda sat at OPS beside her. She monitored the ship's systems despite Thool managing things in engineering. Tulley manned the weapons console to Ro's left. The final station was taken by Alea. She monitored the sensors and she'd just gotten a hit.

"Ro, I'm detecting a Cardassian shuttle. Just like you said," Alea reported.

"Transfer its position to the helm and keep a running update to the navigation systems," Ro replied.

Kalinda grinned over at Ro, "Good call. They're coming in straight from the Cardassian border, just like you predicted."

Ro grimaced, "Don't thank me yet. That shuttle will be armed and we haven't tested the _Indie's_ weapons or shields."

"I think we're about to get that test," Kalinda smirked.

"Right," Ro agreed grimly, "Tulley, arm weapons and raise shields."

Tulley acknowledged the order and Ro status indicator shifted. The shuttle was up on the navigational sensors now. Ro angled her ship for maximum effect. She gave the order to fire and Tulley unleashed a volley from both wingtip mounted Type VIII phasers.

Ro fired the thrusters and halved the impulse output. The _Indie_ pulled a tight Immelman turn and came back at the Cardassians. They managed to return fire this time. The shields took a hit and deflected most of it but some of the energy bled through and systems aboard the _Indomitable_ overloaded.

"Damage report!" Ro snapped.

"Some primary systems have gone done and auxiliaries have engaged," Kalinda reported, "But the back ups are unstable. We may lose them if we take another couple of hits."

"Tulley, load photons," Ro ordered.

"We only have four," he reminded her.

"So load _two_ of the damn things, use one, and see if we need to use the other. Okay?" Ro argued.

"Photons loaded," he reported.

"I'm lining us up. Take the shot ASAP because we're going to be taking fire and I want to angle us away as soon as the torpedo is off," Ro explained her plan.

Tulley grinned, "At your command."

The scoutship was bucking from disruptor strikes and the shields were rapidly losing efficiency and strength. Ro ordered the strike. The port launcher yielded a photon. It streaked straight and true into the Cardassian shuttle.

The shuttle's shields were already failing when the photon warhead totally overloaded them. The shuttle wasn't destroyed but that was by the barest of margins.

"The shuttle is crippled. She's lost structural integrity and is venting atmosphere," Alea informed Ro.

Ro fell silent. Kalinda looked over at her with some concern, "We can't handle prisoners until we run the operation."

"And where would we hold them anyway?" Ro asked bitterly.

"Orders?" Tilley inquired.

Ro set course for Solosos, "Let nature take its course."

They all fell silent at that. A staple of interstellar travel was rendering aid to a crippled ship. They'd just crossed a line they could never walk away from.

"On to our _real_ mission," Ro said as she piloted the ship towards the planet.

Ro landed the _Indie_ at the appropriate spaceport. She was three times the size of a standard runabout but she was still much smaller than some of the freighters that had touched down here. It was close to dawn. Ro checked in with Thool. His engineers would man the ship will the strike team went out.

"Your friend _will_ be ready for us?" she asked archly.

"Belieze is waiting for you," Thool assured her, "She'll have everything ready for you."

"And how much is this going to cost us?" Ro wanted to know.

Thool grinned, "It's on the house."

Ro shared his grin, "My kind of price."

* * *

They met Belieze at her shop. She ran an equipment rental agency. She had heavy equipment of all types and places of origin. She brought Ro and the Maquis to two six wheeled rovers. Kalinda sneered.

"Those are Cardassian military scouts," she complained.

"They're the _civilian_ model," Belieze retorted, "And unlike most Cardassian equipment, they're utterly reliable."

"We'll take them," Ro said gratefully.

"Hold on," Kalinda drug Ro off to the side, "They're _Cardassian_!"

Ro shrugged, "So's the disruptor you've been using for the last six weeks."

Kalinda was stymied and she knew it, "Do you even know how to drive one of things?"

Ro smirked, "Of course. The Cardies drove all over Bajor in these monsters. I was stealing them before my twelfth birthday."

"Kalinda grimaced, "Well, I don't know how so you're going to have to show me."

* * *

It actually only took Ro a few minutes to show Kalinda the basics. Hopefully, they wouldn't need any fancy driving. Ro doubted the average garresh or gorr knew how to copy moves Ro had been performing in these vehicles since her youth in the Resistance.

They loaded up and took off. Kalinda was tentative at first but she quickly got the hang of things. So they tore down the public road towards their target.


	8. Chapter 8

Sisko and Dax beamed down to their intended destination half a kilometer away from the farm. The entire group had transported back to the _Rio Grande_ earlier before gearing up. They'd armed themselves with phasers. Dax also carried a tricorder.

"Shall we?" Sisko gallantly made a sweeping gesture to indicate the direction they should go.

"Let's," Dax curtsied and started down the road. Sisko accompanied her. She took readings as they approached the farm.

"I hope Julian made it down all right," Dax fretted.

"O'Brien is an expert. He'll set the doctor down where he can do the most good." Sisko remarked.

"I am surprised, though," Dax admitted, "I thought you found him to be too inexperienced for a task like this."

Sisko chuckled, "I trust Bashir to stand back and provide cover fire. Have you ever looked up his proficiency ratings at the Academy?"

"Of course not," Dax said with indignation, "That's a CO's purview. Although I bet Kira's looked it up."

" _And_ Odo," Sisko's good humor grew.

"Is there a point to this conversation?" Dax asked with a longsuffering air.

"Bashir has some of the highest scores on the range of any cadet in his class. He's good. Not phenomenal, despite his feelings regarding that matter, but he is _good_ ," Sisko shared, "So while he _is_ inexperienced his role is to lay down suppressive fire to inhibit movement _not_ to pick of targets."

"So, he _has_ impressed you," Dax ventured.

"I respect the Doctor's professional skills," Sisko clarified, "I still don't think he's fully qualified as field personnel and there's no reason to expect him to be."

"Yet _you_ brought him along," she pointed out.

"I was expecting casualties," Sisko confessed.

"You didn't expect Hudson to come quietly," Dax surmised.

"Cal and I have stretched the boundaries of friendship to the breaking point and beyond. We are _adversaries_ now and will treat each other accordingly." Sisko described the situation as it stood.

"Do you think he would kill you?" Dax asked softly.

Sisko let go of a heavy sigh, "I don't know. He's proven himself to be a killer. Why should I be immune if I stand in his way?"

"Well, he…" Dax tried to lighten the gravitas of that statement.

Sisko abruptly stopped so she did as well. Sisko's feelings were very raw as he spoke, "Cal Hudson is a _terrorist_. He's not a soldier any more. He certainly kills military targets but he also indiscriminately butchers civilians for no crime greater than working for the Cardassians. What is a man like that capable of?"

Dax let out a mournful sigh, "We've seen it too many times, Benjamin. He has to be brought in for his own good not just the safety of others. You know what will happen to him if he has to live with himself."

"Exactly," Sisko agreed with new resolve. "So let's keep walking."

"One question though," Dax insisted, "Why didn't you involve the local constabularies?"

Sisko gave her a pained look, "They're Cardassians."

"I thought that's why we were cooperating with them in the first place," she dryly remarked.

"Cal's a _Maquis_ and the local police are Cardassians. How well do you think he would be received?" Sisko put it baldly.

"Gotcha," Dax caught on. "Just asking."

"We're running late," Sisko commented. "Care for a jog?"

She grinned, "Try and keep up."

* * *

Bashir found himself in a peaceful wooded glen…and totally surrounded by armed strangers. One of them, who he guessed was the authority here, strode towards him. She, at least, didn't wave her phaser at him. She let her companions do that for her.

"Drop the phaser rifle," she ordered, " _And_ the phaser on your hip and you _will_ hand over your comm badge."

Bashir suddenly had a wild thought of tapping comm badge and calling Sisko. The woman saw it in his eyes and smiled, "On second thought, I think _I'll_ take that comm badge."

She removed it from his chest and handed it off to a young woman with violet hair, "Put this someplace safe, Alea."

The younger woman blinked, "You shouldn't have used my name, _Kalinda_."

This amused Kalinda, "I'm sure Doctor Bashir here would be accurate enough in his descriptions of us for Starfleet Intelligence to identify us…particularly with that hair of yours."

Alea blushed and moved off. Kalinda motioned for Bashir to step aside. When he did so, other Maquis retrieved his weapons. He scowled as they did so.

"Cheer up, Doctor. You've contributed to a noble cause," Kalinda assured him.

"I don't see how arming terrorists is serving a noble cause," Bashir said spitefully.

"I see. You're an expert on local conditions and politics then?" Kalinda asked.

"Of course not," Bashir admitted.

"Then keep your mouth shut about things which you have no scope of," Kalinda warned.

"Or what? You'll kill me?" he baited her.

"No, but I will stun you for the sake of everyone here. Your voice carries, Doctor, and the occupiers have itchy trigger fingers," Kalinda tried to be reasonable.

"I thought that pertained to your group as well," Bashir smarted off.

"Do you see us storming the castle?" Kalinda dryly asked.

She had him there, Bashir had to admit; "So what now?"

"Now we sit very quietly and see what your commander flushes out," Kalinda explained.

"Now see here!" Bashir protested. Kalinda clamped a hand over his mouth.

" _Quietly_ Doctor! I won't warn you again," Kalinda stressed. "You can sit back and observe or you can take a nap while we do our business. Your choice."

"Just how did you get here before us?" Bashir wondered.

Kalinda smirked, "It wasn't that hard. The Maquis get things done while Starfleet holes up in hotel rooms."

Bashir's cheeks burned. Kalinda pushed him towards a nearby tree, "Sit."

He planted himself on the ground and she motioned for another Maquis to take her place. He noticed with some satisfaction that it was the woman with the unusual hair. She squatted across from him and frowned.

"Why are you smiling?" she asked suspiciously.

"I'm just admiring you. I've never met anyone like you. Captain Rionoj comes the closest." Bashir observed.

"She's a Boslic," Alea commented.

"Are you?" Bashir inquired.

Alea smirked, "No."

"Than what are you?" Bashir asked after a moment's hesitation.

"I'm _me_ ," Alea said snarkily.

Kalinda came over, "I said to _watch_ him not to romance him."

Alea gave her an angry stare as Kalinda went back to her preferred location. Bashir tried a more conciliatory tone, "I didn't mean to get you in trouble."

"Just shut up," Alea sullenly demanded.

"Really, I…" Bashir quieted down as Alea aimed her phaser at him.

"Not. Another. Word," Alea grated.

Bashir settled in and wondered if he'd achieved something by becoming the Maquis' first prisoner of war.

Kalinda flipped open an old, surplus communicator and called Ro, "We've captured a Starfleet officer. The doctor of all people.

" _Well, it's not like this wasn't expected,_ " Ro commented. " _Any sign of the others?_ "

"None yet but they can't be far behind…" Kalinda trailed off. "Wait, they just came jogging up. Literally."

" _What are they doing?_ " Ro inquired.

"Catching their breath and heading for the front door of the bunkhouse," Kalinda reported.

Kalinda could imagine Ro's eye roll as she responded, " _Keep an eye on the situation. We're roiling in now._ "

Kalinda knew that Ro and the assault team were a kilometer away on a side road, "Roger that. We'll be ready and waiting."

" _Starfleet ought to pay us for rescuing their tactical geniuses,_ " Ro snorted before she cut the transmission.

Kalinda felt the same way.

* * *

Dax scanned the bunkhouse and frowned, "They're not exactly hiding, Benjamin. We have human life signs mixed with one Vulcan and an Andorian. I mark a dozen Cardassians." She put away the hand scanner, "What do you want to do?"

"Let's knock on the door," Sisko suggested.

As the approached, the door flew opened and two armed Cardassians stepped out. More came jogging around the building. Given there were twelve inside the building to begin with, the four that had been on external foot patrol made sixteen.

"I'm Commander Benjamin Sisko," he said. "I'm here to take Calvin Hudson into custody."

The Cardassian everyone seemed to defer to suddenly laughed, "I heard comedy was a dying art among your people, Commander. But you seem to have a fine grasp of it."

"It's not a joke," Sisko said sternly.

"It's not?" the leader asked.

"Not even close," Sisko assured him.

"Then we have a definite problem," the leader informed him, "In that case, you will surrender your weapons and communications gear and step inside and join the _other_ prisoners."

"Are you suggesting that you're taking us prisoner?" Sisko asked.

The Cardassian shook his head, "No Commander, I'm _informing_ you that I am."

"Your government will here of this," Sisko warned him.

The Cardassian chuckled, "Commander, I doubt they'll even realize you're gone before we have you on Cardassia Prime. It's amazing how efficiently prisoners can be _lost_ there."

"This is an act of war," Sisko tried one last gambit.

"So were the Maquis attacks on our colony. Consider this a counterstrike," the Cardassian declared.

Sisko grated, "What is your name?"

"I am Feron," he said. "That's all you need know."

Sisko reached for his phaser and Feron tucked his disruptor's emitter end under Dax's chin, "Ah, ah, Commander. You're willing to lose _your_ life but what about _hers_?"

Sisko dropped the phaser on the ground Feron turned to Dax, "And now for you."

Her eyes met Sisko's and he nodded. She dropped her phaser and her tricorder. Feron then plucked their comm badges off of their uniforms.

He motioned inside with his disruptor, "Come in here."

They disappeared into the bunkhouse.

* * *

Outside, Kalinda swore and flipped open her communicator again, "Ro! Where are you? Starfleet just got taken prisoner."

" _We're five hindered meters away. You'll see us in any second,_ " Ro advised and in a handful of minutes later, the scout car came sliding across the gravel and the Maquis deployed even before it came to a halt.

* * *

"Ben," Hudson scowled.

"Hello, Cal. This isn't the reunion that I had planned," Sisko admitted.

"No, you intended to grab me at phaser point and slap binders on my wrists," Hudson corrected him.

"Something like that," Sisko said darkly.

"Now I suppose you'll be joining us on Cardassia," Hudson predicted.

"Not her," Feron pointed at Dax. "Gul Evek is always looking for news comfort women. His supply of Bajorans has dried up. I'm certain he'd like to try an exotic Federation creature," He laughed at seeing Dax's revulsion. "Never fear, my pretty. Evek takes good care of his lesser lifeforms. As long as they please him."

"I guess I'm going to be awfully mistreated then," Dax warned.

The sound of crunching gravel interrupted Feron's retort. He pointed at the door, "See what that is."

The door opened and two Cardassians exited. The sound of phaser fire filled the air. Feron turned to his troops, "Alpha Team with me. The rest of you, fan out and deal with the intruders."

The others went out a back door. Seconds later, more phaser fire could be heard. Feron called to certain Cardassians on his wrist communicator. There were no replies. He summoned reinforcements from the main house.

Heavy weapons fire sounded after that as well as cries of pain. Feron called out repetitively but no one ever responded. Not even a wounded man, if there _were_ such a thing.

Phaser fire rained down from the roof. The other four Cardassians fell to the ground. Feron had enough time to look to the roof and see a Bajoran woman and a human male on the rafters and crossbeams above. The woman had him in her sights and he knew that death had found him at long last.

After Feron was dealt with, Ro and Tulley climbed down. Tulley immediately aimed his phaser in Sisko and Dax's direction. Ro checked in with Hudson.

"Are you all right?" she asked, "Can everyone move?"

"We can but how will we…" Hudson stared too ask.

Ro squeezed his arm, "We have a military grade transport outside and a ship at the port. We _are_ leaving, trust me."

Hudson suddenly knew what Chakotay saw in her. Macius had been the one to take a chance on Ro and that belief had just paid itself back a thousand fold.

"I'm afraid that isn't possible," Sisko insisted. "Commander Hudson is _my_ prisoner. He _will_ stand trial…and so will _you_ Lt. Ro."

Ro met his statement with an incredulous stare, "You _are_ aware of the fact that you're essentially _my_ prisoner right now?"

"The Maquis don't have the legal right to _take_ prisoners," Sisko argued. "Starfleet _does_."

"And just how are you going to take us prisoner?" Ro wondered.

"I have a Federation warrant for Commander Calvin Hudson," Sisko clarified. "I can _get_ one for you, Ro Laren. In the name of expediency I'm will to let the others go _for now_."

Ro grinned, "Then it's a good thing we're not in the Federation."

"Excuse me?" Sisko wasn't certain he'd heard her correctly.

"We're in the _Demilitarized Zone_ , Commander," Ro countered. "Show me a warrant from the central government of the DMZ and I'll gladly turn myself in."

Sisko was caught and he knew it as he admitted, "The DMZ lacks any centralized government."

"Then I guess we're free to go," Ro sarcastically opined. She turned to Tulley, "Keep them here while I gather the others."

Ro stepped away and flipped open her communicator and began speaking into it. Hudson turned to Sisko, "I'm sorry it had to be this way, Ben. But just to warn you, I'm not going to be brought in. Not now, not ever. Even if you manage to capture me somehow, I'll never break and I'll never talk. You can put me in the stockade on Jaros II until I die. I'll never betray these people." He smiled, "And now I think you can see how far they'll go for me."

The rear door opened and Kalinda marched Bashir in. He looked distraught to see Sisko and Dax overpowered as well. He miserably spoke to them.

"I'm sorry. I transported down and they were everywhere," he lamented.

"Don't take it personally, Doctor," Kalinda reassured him. "Your friends were captured with ridiculous ease as well."

Bashir brightened a bit until Sisko scowled at him. Sisko turned to Hudson, "You won't be able to leave. I have a ship in orbit."

"And how do you think my people arrived?" Hudson asked scornfully, "That they walked here from another solar system?"

Ro pulled Kalinda aside, "Have everyone gather up the Cardassians' weaponry."

"What about Starfleet's?" Kalinda asked.

"Theirs too," Ro answered. "Waste not, want not."

Kalinda went outside and began issuing orders. A few moments later, she paged Ro with her communicator. Ro ordered Kalinda's squad to mount up and take off for the spaceport.

Ro turned to the Starfleet officers and showed them their comm badges in her hand, "I'll drop these off alongside the road at a safe distance. By the time you get back to your runabout me and mine should be long gone."

Sisko angrily stared at her and she shrugged, "And I wouldn't step out of that door until you hear us drive off. We'll just stun you and it'll take that much longer to return to your ship."

* * *

A few hours later, Sisko and his companions found their comm badges sitting alongside the road as promised. Sisko wearily requested a transport. O'Brien beamed Sisko and Dax aboard and then grabbed Bashir. He was full of questions but Sisko derailed him with a question of his own.

"Have any ships lifted off in the last three hours?" Sisko wondered.

"Sure," O'Brien answered, "At least half a dozen."

"Were any headed for Ronara Prime or thereabouts?" Sisko clarified.

"I don't know. I wasn't tracking traffic. I suppose we could extrapolate it out of the sensor logs," O'Brien offered.

"Never mind, Chief. Just head us towards home," Sisko blearily ordered.

"Do you mind, Lieutenant?" O'Brien asked Dax before taking the CONN.

"Be my guest, Chief," Dax said, "I'm going to crash on a cot in the lounge. Don't wake me until we get there."

Sisko sat down at OPS but he wasn't saying anything. He seemed lost in thought and O'Brien didn't want to disturb him. He had an alternate resource anyway.

"So Julian, what happened down there?" he asked.

* * *

 _Epilogue…_

Within twenty four hours the Maquis had spirited Hudson off of Ronara and onto another colony. The move was in case any of the Cardassian tracking stations put their movements together and sent more paramilitaries or even regular forcers to try to apprehend the Maquis Commander once again.

Ro actually thought it unlikely. She'd given the Cardies quite a bloody nose on this one. It would be some time before they crossed paths with her again.

Thinking about all of these events, she entered the Old Biddy. What she saw surprised her. She rather liked it. It was so much livelier than the drab sterility exuded by the place where she'd been recruited. That dive was becoming known as her cell's favored meeting place. Perhaps it was time to move on after all.

As expected, Macen sat at a table waiting for her. He'd opted for a table in the middle of the room rather than the privacy of a booth. She complained about such as she sat down.

He wore a merry smile, "Then people think you've something to hide."

"I do," Ro wryly reminded him.

"But why advertise that fact?" he asked jovially, "So what do you think of the place?"

"It's nice," Ro wasn't certain what was expected of her.

"The owner is _very_ accepting of anyone that has coin in their pocket," Macen shared, "He also insists that conversations remain _discreet_."

Now Ro understood where Macen was goring with the conversation, "I think I can swing some business his way."

"So how are you settling into your new job," he asked.

"I actually think I may be a good fit for it." Ro admitted.

"You're a natural," Macen assured her. "But then, I've always thought so."

"I'm not sure I'd be as certain about you," Ro confessed.

Macen shrugged, "You're bound to think so. It comes with your new job."

"Do you honestly think you can pull this off?" Ro wanted to, no _needed_ , to know.

"What did you think of our first collaboration?" Macen asked.

"It was perfect," Ro admitted. "But how long will you be able to keep your access?"

"I don't need _access_ to Starfleet files. I did the job for fifty years. I'm pretty valuable on my own," Macen countered. "Starfleet just pads the résumé."

"Okay, let's really look at this though," Ro stated, "I can't give you access to my cell. Not until you've proven yourself, _really_ proven yourself."

Macen chuckled, "Have I ever asked for anything?"

 _That_ gave Ro pause, "Well, no."

"And that's the way it'll stay," Macen promised her. "My people are a self sustaining operation. Tells us what you need and we'll do our best to get it. If we can't we'll simply say so. Deal?"

Ro thought it over. She really didn't have anything to lose. She smiled at long last.

"Deal," she said.

* * *

Sisko contacted Nechayev again. She was a little terser this time around, "I didn't expect to hear back from you, Commander."

"Why is that, Admiral?" Sisko asked.

"You didn't exactly succeed, now did you?" she asked crossly.

"The Maquis arrived. Amazingly enough they seemed to have all of the same intelligence that we had," Sisko left the accusation unspoken.

"What, precisely, are you implying, Commander?" Nechayev asked sternly.

"You said that you had a contingency in play and lo and behold the Maquis drop in," Sisko explained before cutting straight to the point. "Where _they_ your contingency?"

"Commander, you know the Maquis are considered criminals by Starfleet and Starfleet is not in the practice of working with criminals," Nechayev said archly.

"Starfleet has made notable exceptions in the past," Sisko reminded her.

"The past is the past, Commander. Nowadays we don't have cowboys for starship captains or _admirals_. You're speaking of a bygone era," Nechayev assured him. "I suggest you focus on your area of command and let others, who are more attuned to the DMZ work within the DMZ. We have experts for a reason, Commander."

"The DMZ is near my operational area. I feel…" Sisko began but was cut off.

" _Commander_ , you have two frontiers. You are further out into the interior of the Alpha Quadrant than any other Starfleet command _and_ you have access to the Gamma Quadrant. Quite frankly between those, and overseeing the reconstruction aid to Bajor, you have your hands quite full. I don't think you need to gallivant about and do some adventuring where you're frankly not needed," Nechayev cut to the quick.

Sisko bristled, "Yes, Admiral."

"So you'll leave the DMZ alone _unless_ you're ordered to return?" Nechayev demanded to know.

"Yes, ma'am," Sisko tried to remain civil. Nechayev's brusque manner wasn't helping.

"Good," Nechayev cut the transmission.

Sisko leaned back in his chair and thought over the events in the DMZ again. The Maquis had received help from an outside source. That source had obviously obtained information from Starfleet. He recalled the so-called "information broker". He filed a report with Starfleet Security flagging Macen's operation. He thought about filing one for Starfleet Intelligence and reconsidered it. Macen had spent his career in intelligence. He undoubtedly still had friends there. Friends that would tip him off.

Sisko knew this hadn't ended. In fact, things had only begun because he now had a vested interest in events in the DMZ. He would keep a close eye on that region from now on and one day, he would move against the Maquis again.

 **Acknowledgements:**

 **Thanks go to Bernd Schneider for designing the** _ **Blackbird**_ **-class scoutship. Look up the design at his EAS website**


End file.
